Story of Gaara and OC
by Gin Yuri
Summary: OC is sold as a wife to Sabaku no Gaara. Other characters will emerge. I've worked on this for a while so read and review!
1. Chapter 1 Sold!

"What the hell are you thinking?" I shout at my father. He sighed and sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers on his leg. His face was almost entirely covered by his white Raikage hat, but I knew he was watching my face.

"I know it seems like you've been abandoned, but trust me, Seluni, it's all for the best. You have to see that –"

"I haven't been abandoned, I've been sold! By my own father, and what's more, you have no reason to do so!" My face grew red in rage, but my father looked up at me calmly.

"Now that's not true, Seluni. You know that the Lightning Country's relation to the Wind Country is deteriorating. We need a hook, something to fasten our country to theirs, before they decide to take advantage of our weaknesses." He paused. "Don't be so selfish as to think I would put you before the well-being of our country."

That last remark hurt. My father was never an emotional person, but I had never heard him speak so cruelly to me before. I knew this was something I could not win.

"So, you feel nothing for selling your own daughter for peace, to a blood-thirsty country I've never been to?"

My heart broke as he shook his head. I hung my head and turned to the door.

"Don't think about running away, Seluni, I have all our ninja on lookout. And one more thing –" I turned to face the man I called father.

"You haven't even asked me whom you are betrothed to."

"You mean _sold_ to," I spat. I didn't care who it was. The Wind Country was on the other side of the known world, so anyone would be a stranger.

"You are to belong to the Fifth Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara," He cleared his throat and awaited a response from me.

I just looked at him. The Kazekage? The best ninja in the country, basically the complete ruler of it, needed a wife . . . My head spun at the thought of it. I had assumed I would marry some lower lord, but the Kazekage? This was impossible.

My father smiled at my shock. "Seluni, dear, I would not give the daughter of the Raikage to just anyone. Although I did not hesitate to offer you to him, I know you will do fine on your own. You are doing the nation a great favor. I know you never felt true attachment to the Lightning Country, but by marrying the Kazekage you are ensuring my – our – country's peace. Now pack up, you leave tomorrow morning."

I walked out of his office in a daze. Leaving tomorrow? I had to say goodbye to my friends, had to pack up all my belongings and never return. This was happening too fast.

I entered my room and walked to the window, seeing the same landscape that greeted me since before I could remember – hundreds of dull gray rooftops, wide crowded city streets, empty hills beyond that, and past those hills, a few low mountains. Beyond those mountains, I had a husband, no, an owner, waiting.

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The rest of the day, as I said my tearful goodbyes to my friends and schoolmates, I realized that my father had been serious in suggesting I not try to escape. Around every corner, or just a dozen steps behind me, Lightning ninjas watched me. Their cold eyes met mine whenever I made a sudden move. If I walked too close to one, they would disappear in a flash. I was watched and followed meticulously the entire day as I lapped the city, saying my goodbyes and hugging old friends.

The last person I visited was Aleitryi, my best friend since childhood. When I told her the news, she cried and hugged me, pleading for it to be a bad joke. I tried to cheer her up. I told her I would write, and if things were bad she could visit. After an hour of reminiscing and promises, I gave her one last bear hug and left, tears in my eyes and pain in my heart. I would miss her most, Aleitryi, the friend who was always there for me. I might never see her again.

Upon returning to my room, I saw that my luggage had already been packed. I bitterly realized my father wanted me gone as soon as possible. Throwing myself on the pillow-less bed, I wondered what Sabaku no Gaara was like, and whether he would approve of me.

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The main journey was long and uneventful. Over mountains, across borders, sleeping in hotels and naps in the wagon. I was led by a group of seven ninja, who constantly maintained a circle around the horse and covered wagon I rode. Our little caravan earned stares in each country we passed, and I realized how obvious it was that I was someone of importance. If we were attacked on the way, I had no trust in the Lightning ninjas to protect me.

We stopped somewhere in the Fire Country, apparently waiting for some Wind Country ninja to meet us. After three days of waiting, my escorts decided to leave. But within minutes of us leaving the hotel, we were stopped and I heard voices. I had been dozing in the wagon, but got up and lifted the flap when I realized the voices were friendly.

The sun blinded me for a minute. I heard a sharp intake of breathe. On the road with my escorts were two Wind Country ninja, both no older than twenty, one a blonde woman with fishnet clothes and a huge fan on her back, the other was a man dressed in black with purple markings on his face, which was staring shocked at me. He spoke,

"Damn, Tenmari, I had heard she was pretty, but she's fucking hot!"

The girl growled at him. "Shut up, Kankuro, make a good first impression, this _is_ our sister-in-law!" Kankuro looked slightly put out and reached out to shake my hand.

He introduced himself and his sister. "We're Gaara's siblings. We're gonna lead you the rest of the way, so you can send back your escorts."

"But you don't understand, my father's men won't obey me –"

One of the escort ninjas smiled. "We do have orders to obey these Sand Jounin though. Goodbye Raikage no Seluni!" he nodded at the others and they were gone in a flash.

I blinked and looked at my two companions, not sure what to do. The man looked over my shoulder and into the cart. He put his hands on his hips.

"You can't take that with you," he said simply.

I turned and looked at my belongings. It was true, I didn't really need any of it. I pulled out a picture of my father, my favorite book and my identification papers and put them in my bag. I jumped out of the cart wondering what would happen to it. But, I was far more concerned of what would happen to me.

The girl looked me up and down, and motioned to go. Both teens disappeared.

I stood speechless for a minute until they returned, looking slightly confused.

"I'm not a ninja," I stated what I thought was obvious. I could never match the speed of a Jounin traveling long distance.

The man sighed and scratched his head. "Hm. I'll have to carry you, slow-poke." I tisked at the insult and jumped awkwardly onto his back.

Immediately there was a rush of wind as the boy took off. I held on tightly as the pair bounded through the trees, never missing a step or hitting a branch.

Kankuro's hands tightly grasped my legs, and slowly began moving them up as we went. I tried to squirm out of his reach, but he held on tightly, and I didn't want to fall.

I tried to yell at him as his hands reached my ass, but the wind was loud in my ears and it took my breath away when I opened my mouth. I sucked it up and prayed he would do no more then feel me up a bit. Thankfully, his hands stopped and the rest of the trip, I went unmolested.

The trip took a few hours, and it was nightfall when we reached the country. It wasn't all deserts, as I had expected, but as we traveled deeper into the country there was more sand than anything else. If we had traveled slower, I might have been able to witness more of the landscape. But Jounin travel fast; their leaps were fast and strong, yet graceful and silent.

We finally reached the Hidden Sand Village, where the Kazekage lived. I only recognized the village by its tall walls and a wide road leading to it. As we neared the front gate, the pair slowed down and Kankuro placed me down amidst the wind. I looked up at him sheepishly but his gaze was focused sternly on the village.

We passed through several checkpoints where Tenmari and Kankuro were nodded past and I was made to show identification papers. Inside the village, the wind ceased noticeably and I was amazed by the hive-like buildings made of sand. The windows were round and glassed, and people were dressed in layers of cloth, sometimes almost covering their faces.

The two Jounin escorted me in silence to a huge castle-like building in the center of the village, and I was made to wait as they discussed my papers with some ninjas on guard. Eventually, I was led into the building and through long hallways lit by circled windows. The walls, ceilings, and floors were all made of hard sand, and I took a breath as we walked up to the third floor. Somehow, the buildings stood strong.

I was led to a bedroom suite on the third floor, and told to wait there for further instructions. Tenmari told me that I would meet Gaara the next morning, and we would no doubt be wed within the week. She made sure not to leave me before Kankuro left the room. I silently thanked her for that.

I put down my bag and sat on the large bed. I was exhausted from the trip, yet I knew trying to fall asleep now was impossible. Tenmari never told me when to expect them back. Was I supposed to join them for dinner, or stay here until tomorrow?

I walked to the window and looked longingly outside. The village's design was artistic yet morbid. The streets curled out like snakes from the village center, and interlocked and divided like veins. But the village itself was quiet, and the replicated buildings seemed depressing. I almost cried right there realizing that this was the view I would wake up to from now on.

After using the restroom and getting a feel for the suite, I began taking out the few belongings I brought. I wondered briefly where all my other things were, in the wagon still, on a road in the woods? Or had someone already come across the poor horse and taken my belongings?

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It was late when I finally decided to go to sleep. The room was already dark but for the moonlight that fell from the windows. I lay out over the covers and began to doze.

I woke up with the feeling I was being watched. I looked over at the clock, which shone _4:17_ in bright red. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, unable to shake the feeling. As I did so, I heard a sharp intake of breath.

My eyes darted to the far corner of the room, where I could just make out a dark figure standing in silence. I froze and held my breath.

"Who's there?" I whispered. The figure stepped forward into the blue light of the window. A young man, tall and handsome, dressed in maroon. His hair was brown and his eyes were bright, but rimmed in dark shadow. I watched in awe as he walked to the bed, never taking his sharp eyes off me.

The boy stopped and looked down at me almost condescendingly.

"I am the Fifth Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara," he said, "Are you are Raikage no Seluni?" I nodded slowly and pulled my legs over the edge of the bed. Gaara sat down next to me and looked at the floor.

There was a moment of silence where I realized the Kazekage was uncomfortable.

"So," I began, "Is there any reason you're in my room right now?" I meant it as a bit of a joke, but Gaara looked up at me with wide, anxious eyes.

"I was told you had arrived," he began. His voice was sweet, but tinged with doubt. "And I had to see you. After all, we are to be wed this week. I wanted to see my bride." While he spoke he didn't take his eyes off of me. He touched my chin and raised my face to his. I closed my eyes and felt his soft lips kiss mine. His hand stroked my cheek as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I ran my hand through his hair and felt him shutter at my touch.

Gaara's hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I exhaled into his mouth as my chest met his. Suddenly he began to get rougher, kissing me more passionately and rubbing my body.

"Gaara, please, wait –" I began, but he pushed me down onto the bed and kissed my neck. I sighed in pleasure as he began nipping and sucking. He bit down hard and I gasped in pain. He licked off the blood and moaned my name, in a different voice.

I tried to push him off me, but he was far too strong. He pried open my legs and lowered his hips to mine.

"Damn, Gaara, stop it! Please!" I wriggled up the bed, away from the man.

Suddenly he grabbed his head and began to shake. Gaara hissed in pain as he slumped to his side on the bed. He mumbled incoherently for a few minutes, then there was silence.

I looked at him for a minute, and crawled over to him. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled, "I – I can't control Shikaku sometimes. When he – we – want something, he takes over and . . . I'm so sorry!" He pulled himself up to give me a strong hug, and disappeared in my arms.

He seemed so upset, I couldn't help but comfort him. I didn't know who Shikaku was, I didn't know if he was lying or crazy, but I felt as though I knew this man already, and I held him in my arms until his breathing slowed to normal, and I began to drift into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2 Blood Thirsty

"Seluni!" A voice and several knocks on the door woke me up. It took me a minute to realize where I was, and what had happened the night before. Gaara was gone.

I rolled off the bed and felt a sharp pain on my neck. I touched the area and winced; I remembered that Gaara had bit me there a just a few hours ago.

The door opened, and Temari appeared, dressed in a similar fishnet outfit to the one she wore yesterday. She had a huge grin on her face, and held a package in her hands. She ran to the bed and held it out to me.

"Here, Seluni," she seemed out of breath, "This is for you – a gift from your new sister!"

I grinned and took the package. I opened it to find a beautiful, shimmering green dress, with silver and emerald jewelry to match.

"Th- Thank you!" I was caught completely off guard by the elaborate present. Temari smiled and put her hand on my shoulder.

"I know this must be extremely difficult for you. Traveling to a new country, to marry a man you've never met, I can't imagine the stress. But this is for the ball tonight. It's sort of a welcoming party for you, so you're gonna have to be sociable and what not. After all, the image you portray will affect Gaara as much as yourself." She paused. "Um, I don't really know how to introduce you two. Gaara's a bit different."

I smiled again. "Actually, I've already met him."

Temari's blue eyes widened. "What? When?"

I was suddenly reluctant to tell her of what happened, but I figured she could explain things more thoroughly if I did.

"Wow," she sighed when I had finished speaking, "I would never have guessed he would try to see you the first night you were here. Usually he's a little more . . ."

"Patient?" I suggested.

"No, well yes, but he's not the type to get overly excited about seeing someone. But, at least he was civil – even if Shikaku wasn't."

"So who is Shikaku anyway?"

Temari explained that Shikaku was the demon raccoon living inside of Gaara. It was a strong demon, and it could release itself and control Gaara whenever the boy got excited.

"I've only ever seen Gaara get excited over fighting and death," she added, "Never towards . . . a girl."

She smiled devishly, making me laugh. I looked up at the blonde girl, not as a stranger, but as a friend.

"Do you have a dress picked out?"

Temari laughed. "No, come on, you can help me pick one out. I have more dresses than I know what to do with!"

We spent the next few hours trying on clothes and jewelry, me telling her about my life in the Lightning Country, her explaining to me the customs and people of the Wind. For the first time, I actually felt like I had a sister, a family.

We were both in elegant dresses and makeup when there was a knock on Temari's door. Kankuro's head poked in and stared at us.

He cleared his throat. "Dressed up a bit much for breakfast, huh?" I laughed and looked down at my sparkling blue and white dress, then over at Temari's brilliant red gown. She gave me a mischievous smile.

"Do you want to wear these to breakfast?"

Kankuro snorted. "Considering this is her first time meeting Gaara, she _might_ want to dress a little more, uh, normal."

Temari sighed and agreed. "Maybe next time. Hey, do you have anything else to wear then?"

I shook my head, earning another grin from the blonde.

"Okay, sweetie, let me grab an outfit for you. Kankuro, we'll be down in a few minutes."

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Breakfast was held in a large dining hall, where feasts were usually hosted. Long tables filled the room, but only one, at the front of the hall, was set with food. There were a dozen people seated, with Gaara in the center. He wore the white Kazekage robes and rested his head on his hands, dark lidded eyes closed. The others in the room were avidly talking when Temari opened the door.

She moved aside to let me enter first. Immediately, all talking stopped and every eye was focused on me. I swallowed and looked nervously at Temari. She gave me a nod for courage, and I felt a bit stronger. I walked to the front table, stopping a few feet before it and bowed deeply, as Temari taught me. I looked up at Gaara, whose face was expressionless as he watched me. I remembered what Temari told me to say.

"Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara, I am your loyal servant, Raikage no Seluni. I am at your command."

There was a minute of silence where I became increasingly nervous. Had I done anything wrong? Was something wrong with my clothes?

The room held its breathe as Gaara studied my face and finally spoke.

"Welcome, Raikage no Seluni. Your father did not lie when he spoke of your beauty. I am pleased. Come, sit at my side."

I found his remark to be a bit uncalled for. However, I nodded and walked around the table, sitting in the empty chair between Gaara and a man with a mask over half his face. Temari sat farther down the table.

Conversation resumed, yet I ate without taking my eyes off my plate. Why was everything so formal here? And I understood that Gaara would want to pretend this was the first time we met, but he hadn't said anything since.

I glanced up at him, but he was turned to Kankuro, both speaking in low voices. I looked at the man to my left, who smiled back at me through his mask.

"Enjoying the Wind so far?" he asked. I opened my mouth to speak, but I really couldn't think of how to answer.

"I haven't been here long . . ."

He laughed, and leaned in to whisper to me.

"Personally, I hate this shithole," he whispered, "Sand everywhere. All this formality and fake smiles, and underneath it all is corruption. Violence is what rules here, although no one will speak of it. Blood thirsty bastards, the lot of them."

_Blood thirsty_. What I had called the Wind Country the day before I left.

My face must have shown my shock. He pointed to the ninja forehead protector, which covered his left eye. I noticed the logo on it wasn't the Wind's hourglass, but instead was a spiraled leaf design.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He smiled again. "I apologize. I'm Hatake Kakashi, of Konoha."

"Konoha? The Fire Country?"

"Yup. Ever been there?"

I shook my head. "This is my first time out of the Lightning Country." Kakashi looked surprised. "That's odd, for such royalty not to travel. And you're not a ninja. Usually any kage's children will train to be his successor."

I looked at my plate. "My father never wanted me to be a ninja, once he found out that I have no talent in the field. When I was young, I was tried in every technique in the country. Eventually, he gave up, and accepted that his heir would never be Raikage."

T_hat's why he hates me, that's why he sent me here_, I thought bitterly.

Kakashi looked at me curiously, and absently touched the spot on his forehead protector where his eye would be.

He seemed to be thinking intently.

"Do you –" He was interrupted by a voice from my right.

"Seluni," Gaara said, and I turned to meet his blue eyed gaze. The feelings I had the night before came back to me as I did so.

"I want to apologize for last night," he said in a low voice. I glanced over my shoulder, but Kakashi was talking to someone else.

"It's okay, Temari told me about Shikaku." He seemed somewhat relieved and sat back in his chair.

"Gaara, I think . . . well, we should get to know each other if we are to be married." I winced inwardly at that last word.

He scoffed. "You don't want to know me."

"If I have to marry you, I think that's best."

"_When_ you marry me, you will have plenty of time to figure out that you hate me." His face was expressionless. "Besides, I'm far too busy to waste my time chatting with you."

Taken aback, I shut up and miserably returned to my breakfast, uninterrupted by either Gaara or Kakashi.

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After the meal, Temari offered to take me out to see the village and shop for proper clothes.

"Just wait until you see all the shops and restaurants, you're going to love the Wind, Seluni, I'll make sure of it!"

Temari lent me another set of clothes, layered cloths with folds to place over the face in case of a sandstorm.

I looked in the mirror and saw a stranger looking back at me. My hair was done up in a Wind style Temari taught me, my makeup was different, and now these clothes completed the transformation. I looked like I belonged here, like a Wind Country citizen. My heart went out to my own Lightning Country, but strangely, I realized I missed it much less than yesterday. I looked forward to shopping with Temari. Maybe, this country wouldn't be so bad.

The streets were mildly crowded, and the wind was low. The shops were surprisingly friendly considering how harsh the weather and buildings seemed. As we shopped, Temari insisted I let her buy me clothes.

Along one street, Temari suddenly stopped walking, with a terrified look on her face.

I stopped "What's wrong?"

Following her gaze, I saw a group of four men walking towards us quickly. The man in front, tall and handsome with spiky black hair and goatee, was glaring at Temari.

Temari grabbed my hand and ran into the nearest shop. The men immediately ran after us, pushing people away to get through the crowds.

"Who are they?" I gasped as we darted between racks of clothes. Temari mumbled something incoherent as we reached a door at the back of the store. Shoving it open, we received a blast of wind, but Temari didn't slow down. She led me down another street, and I glanced back. The men were apparently gone.

We stopped to catch our breath just outside a bar, and I grabbed Temari's arm.

"What was that? Who were those men?" She looked at me with sad eyes.


	3. Chapter 3 Meeting Yura

"What was that? Who were those men?" She looked at me with sad eyes.

"That was Yura, an old . . . friend."

"I'm guessing he didn't just want to say hi,"

Temari grimaced. "Yura's a dangerous man; he's an important leader in this underground village organization called the Drift. We dated for a while, you see, and I'm ashamed to admit I was into Drift for a good period of time. I thought I had found my calling with that group of thugs. But I moved on to focus on becoming a Jounin. Yura never forgave me for that. And recently, for some reason, he thinks I sold out his friend to the authorities. I've been running from him for weeks." Her eyes nervously scanned the crowds as she spoke, and finally satisfied that we had lost them, she looked into the bar we stood before.

"Here we go, Itarui's place. Good food, great sake. C'mon, we deserve a break." She led me inside the bar which was so smoky, it made me cough and squint in the dim light. We found a booth in the back, hidden from view from the street.

A waiter greeted us with a warm smile that hinted of intoxication.

"Temari!" he shouted over the din of the bar. "It's been far too long. Have you been too busy to visit me?" He leaned in closely. "Yura is looking for you. Has been all week. Looks pissed."

"I know, Getui," Temari sighed, "I've been avoiding him. Just give me a heads up if you see him in here."

The waiter nodded and took our orders. Two cups of sake each. As we waited for our drinks, I talked with Temari about the Drift organization.

Apparently, it was made mostly of young but respected Wind ninja men, who would accept any dirty job, be it theft or assassination, just for the simple rush of doing it, as well as accepting a small pay. It was the thrill of adventure that had first drawn Temari to the group, over two years ago. It had taken her a long time to become trusted, seeing as how she was the daughter of the last Kazekage, sister to the current one.

"I'm actually amazed they even let me into Drift at all," she said, after thanking Getui for their drinks. She took a sip of the hot drink, and I did the same. I began to feel at ease in this shady bar very quickly.

Temari continued. "I could have so easily been a spy for my father when Yura first introduced me to the group. But they were so eager to have a girl among them!" She laughed and shook her head. "Anyway, I have to admit I did a few cruel things before I got my act together. Nothing that bad!" She exclaimed, seeing my shocked face. "Just a few things stolen, a few people beaten, a few questions answered through force. But I would never go as far as killing someone for Drift."

I nodded and took another sip of my drink. _This stuff is strong_, I thought, as I saw several Temari's seated before me. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. _What is this? I only had two cups . . . _

Through my blurred vision I saw a half dozen Temari's drop their faces to the table. I looked down at my cup and noticed the remnants of a powder at the bottom. _Shit_.

The last thing I saw was several pale faces emerge from the shadows, and I heard a sinister laugh.

"Far too easy, boys. It seems a shame to dope up a Jounin so easily. Hey Getui, thanks my friend."

I heard a shaky voice as my eyes closed and my head sunk to the table. "P-Please, just leave. Bad for business, so bad for business . . ."

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"You always were far too soft to last long with us," a man's voice said calmly.

My head pounded in my ears when I woke to the voice. I tried lifting my hands to my forehead, but I couldn't move my arms from behind my back. I heard chains clink as I tried to get up. No use. My legs were bound together as well.

I was in a dark room, but it sure wasn't the bar. There were no windows here, in what seemed to be a storage room. Only one dim lamp on the ceiling allowed me to see. And there, beneath the light, was Temari, tied up as I was, but with a shining blue string instead of chains. Chakra rope, like what ninjas use to disarm one another in battle.

Yaru stood menacingly over Temari with one end of the string in his hands. He looked down at her with a sadistically cruel look on his face.

"Did you think you would get away with it? Did you think I wouldn't find out?" His voice rose almost to a shout. "You bitch, selling out my comerade, my friend, after all we did for you! Do you –"

He bent down until his face almost touched hers. His voice lowered again to a sickening calm. "Do you know what they did to him, Temari? They killed him, killed Haperu, after weeks of torture! But he didn't squeal; he held Drift's secret until the end." Yaru stood up again and pulled on the string in his hand, pulling Temari's bonds tighter until she screamed in pain.

"Stop it!" I yelled, "She didn't turn in your friend. You have it all wrong!"

He looked up as if just noticing me there. "Who are you? What relation do you have to this bitch?"

Before I could answer Temari spoke softly. "She's no one, Yaru, just a friend. Let her go, you have no business with her."

_Smart, Temari_.

I had almost told them I belonged to the Kazekage. What a bad idea that would be.

Yaru smirked and looked back at the blonde.

"Hm, now why should I just let her go? A beautiful girl like that, tied up and helpless in our headquarters . . ." I could see his sick mind working out the possibilities.

"Yaru, let her go!" Temari shouted again. "It's me you wanted, not her. Leave her alone and I'll cooperate."

The man barked a laugh. "Cooperate? Baby, I'm going to kill you right here, after I make sure you feel some pain. Cuz I know you did what you did to get back at me, to get your own sick revenge on me. And yes, you were my only target. But unfortunately for her, she was with you when I finally caught my prey. And after I finish you off, I'm gonna get to know her, maybe introduce her to some of the guys."

I suddenly felt sick. I had to get out, but I was helpless. We both were. I closed my eyes as I heard Temari scream again. Yaru had pulled the string so tight it began to cut into her skin.

Tears stung my eyes and my body shuttered. I could almost feel her pain, her screams ripping through me.

My eyes were closed, yet I could almost see what was happening in front of me. Yaru stood over Temari with both hands pulling the string. Temari's body, covered in dark blood, was almost lifted off the floor as he pulled. Her mouth was open in a perpetual scream, and his eyes showed that he had longed for this.

The pain in me turned into rage as I focused on the sadistic man. My chest hurt with all the anger building up in me, churning inside me like an animal caged. Then there was a strange calm within me, an uneasy, silent feeling, as if I was in the eye of a storm.

I felt my eyes open without my consent. The scene before me was gruesome; Temari lay in a pool of her own blood, and Yaru watched her, panting. But everything was laced in purple, glowing edges, especially the two people. At the center of both figures were rolling masses of the purple glow. Was it chakra? Why could I see it?

Yaru glanced over at me and gave a start.

"What the – What's up with your eyes?" His voice had lost its confidence, and his face showed true fear. He gripped the rope and pointed to me with his other hand.

"I don't know what you're doing, but stop it now!" With that he gave Temari a sharp kick in the side. She groaned in pain, but was unable to do more.

I didn't know what was going on, but I wasn't about to let Yaru continue to beat Temari because of me. I shut my eyes tightly, and heard him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ah, much better. Like I said, I'll deal with you later."

As he turned back to Temari, a blast from behind me shook the ground I was blown across the floor, hitting my head on the far wall. Dust filled the air and pieces of stone fell around us. All three of us looked up in alarm.

Framed by the huge black hole in the wall, a figure stepped into the room. Sand swirled around his feet, and he looked down at us angrily with dark rimmed eyes.

Yaru cursed under his breath. He looked downright terrified.

I looked back at the Kazekage in silent admiration. How did he find us?

Gaara lifted his hand and sand from the floor reached up and grabbed a struggling Yaru, who screamed helplessly. Sand continued to rise and cover his entire body, until only his face was exposed. Gaara mumbled and closed his fist.

I don't know what I expected to happen, but as a shower of blood and carnage covered the room, I turned over and threw up. I wormed my way over to Temari, and put my ear to her chest.

I almost cried in happiness when I heard a heartbeat. I looked up at our savior, whose skin was also colored red from the mess. He stared at me with the same look he had in my bedroom.

_This isn't the time for lust!_ I wanted to shout. But I could only mumble his name as he stepped forward, picking me up with strong arms.

I glanced over at Temari, who was now floating on a bed of sand. Gaara's face was blank as he looked at his older sister, whose hitched breathes spoke her pain for her.

I lay my head against his chest, and savored the warmth it offered. I didn't care that he was covered in blood, I didn't care that he had just killed someone. What mattered was that he rescued us; he rescued _me_.

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When Gaara lay me down in the bath, fully clothed, I felt the absence of his skin on mine. I looked into his cold blue eyes and touched his face. He flinched and backed away, closing the door behind him.

I stripped off my bloody clothes and turned on the faucet, my mind wandering back to that moment in the Drift's storage room where my vision changed. Yaru had yelled something about my eyes . . . I would think about it tomorrow. I knew Temari was being healed at the moment, which gave me much relief, but something just didn't seem right about that whole encounter. I would have to ask her about that tomorrow.

My thoughts slowly returned to Gaara as I washed in the red-tinged bath water, and I absently thought of how odd his personality was. He tried to seduce me, apologized, berated me at breakfast, and then rescued me that evening.

What was wrong with the people in this country?


	4. Chapter 4 Surprises

The next morning, I was woken by Kankuro knocking on my door. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head as his painted face appeared in the room.

"Damn, you sleep late." He mumbled, and poked my head between the sheets. I sighed and rolled out of bed, away from Kankuro's reach. I still didn't feel safe with him.

"How's Temari?" I asked while rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

He shrugged. "She's okay. This isn't the first time she's been tortured. How bout you, any nasty cuts I have to take a look at?" He grinned at my skeptical face.

"I'm just fine, Kankuro, now can you leave so I can get changed?"

He put on a fake pout. "Aw, do I have to?"

I threw a pillow at him and he laughed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Stretching my arms out, I felt bruises where the chains had bound me the night before. I rubbed the spots and got changed, my mind mulling over Kankuro's comment about Temari.

As I nervously walked into the breakfast hall, I felt all eyes on me, but I was not introduced like the day before. I sat down next to Gaara and tried not to look at him, wondering how he would react to me now that he'd saved my life.

It wasn't long before I realized that he was ignoring me again, busy speaking with some Jounin about some idle economic topic. I pushed my food around my plate and wondered where Kakashi was.

As if on cue, the Konoha ninja appeared before us in a burst of smoke. He bowed to Gaara and apologized for his lateness, and took his seat.

He winked at me as he sat, or rather, blinked with his one visible eye. "Hey sweetie, how was your first day in the Sand?"

I grimaced and shook my head, not wanting to tell the story with Gaara so near. "Let's just say it was interesting." I muttered.

He gave a light laugh and leaned in closer. "I want to speak with you after breakfast, if that's alright with you."

I nodded, my curiosity showing in my face. Kakashi smiled and patted my hand, then turned to the man at his left to speak.

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The rest of breakfast flew by in silence for me, which wasn't so bad because I had been starving. I scarfed down the meal and decided to visit Temari before speaking with Kakashi. After all, Temari should still be recovering.

As people began standing up to leave, I jumped up and walked out the back door. I was so focused on leaving that bleak breakfast hall that it took me a few minutes to realize I had no idea where I was. This part of the building was completely unfamiliar to me.

After wandering around for a few minutes amidst long maze-like hallways and locked doors, I began to notice a pleasant sound, music from somewhere above me. I found a set of stairs and followed my ears to a room where the music came from.

I opened the door quietly to see a man sitting on the sill of a large window, his face turned away and an acoustic guitar on his lap. I could tell it was Kakashi from his sloppy silver hair, but I could not see his face.

His fingers lazily strummed the guitar in a beautiful, slow tune that ate at my heart. The song was sad and spoke of deep pain.

I closed my eyes to devour the sweet sounds, deciding I now loved the guitar. I was far away in my thoughts when the music stopped and a voice broke the spell it had on me.

"I was wondering what took you so long, Seluni," Kakashi said, and I opened my eyes. His face was still turned from mine, and I suddenly got the feeling I had interrupted something private.

"I got lost," I explained, "You said you wanted to see me?"

The man stood up and placed the guitar against the window. His face, or what I could see of it, was expressionless as he stepped toward me.

"Let me get right to the point. I've been thinking about what you said about your lack of ninja skill, and I want to try something. Now don't get put off if it doesn't work, because I'm hoping I'm wrong."

"I don't understand."

He placed his hand on my shoulder and led me to the open window. There wasn't much wind coming from it because it faced a courtyard at the center of the building.

"Okay, now I'm going to show you the hand seals for one of the Lightning Country's ninjitsu."

"But I've told you, it's all useless for me-"

"I know. Just bear with me." He showed me the seals slowly and then did the move quickly, throwing up his hand at the last second to shoot out five blue bolts of lightning from his fingertips. The lightning shot into the sky and harmlessly faded away with a crack.

I sighed internally. This was the first move my father tried to teach me back at home. Most of the gennin at the academy learnt it at age ten. Although I passed every written exam the school offered, my inability to perform ninjitsu had me removed by that age.

As I lifted my hands to perform the seals, I saw Kakashi lift up his forehead protector out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over and froze. A scar ran down the side of his face straight over his left eye, which was a glowing red pupil speckled with black.

I stared at it, mesmerized for a moment, but snapped out of it when Kakashi gave a lighthearted, "What?"

I shook my head and returned to the seals. I had heard about the Sharigan eyes of one of the Fire Country's clans, but I had never seen it in person before. I thought the Sharigan was supposed to be in both eyes?

I finished the seals and lifted my hand with absolutely no hope of completing the ninjitsu. It wasn't that I didn't try; but that I had attempted it so many times I lost any faith in ever doing it correctly.

There was a moment of silence as I stood with my hand outstretched to the window. I lowered it and looked over at Kakashi, whose gaze was focused on me.

"Shit," he mumbled. "This is bad. Shit." He habitually lowered his protector back over his eye and stroked his chin, keeping his eyes on me without really seeing me.

I hadn't expected a reaction like that. I was used to sheer disappointment from my father. I was a bit angry for Kakashi for bringing up such a sore experience.

"What, Kakashi? What did you expect to happen? I told you I'm a failure at this sort of thing."

He turned his back to the wall and sunk down to his heels, rubbing his forehead.

"What a horrible mistake." He turned to me, and I put up my hands in a 'well?' gesture.

He took a breath. "One of the characteristics of the Sharigan is that it can detect the quality and quantity of chakra in a person. I had you perform that jitsu to bring out your chakra to detect its power. I'm afraid to admit that your chakra level is immense, well above the average chunnin."

I frowned. "What are you talking about? If I have so much chakra, why can't I do any jitsu correctly?"

"Ninjas are naturally adept to the type of jitsu of the country of their birth. Now, in your case, that's a big problem. You have tons of chakra but are immune to any teachings of Lightning Country ninjitsu. I'm not positive if I'm right in this, but I think it's safe to say that the reason you haven't learnt any jitsu is because you're being taught the wrong kind."

He paused to let the information sink in.

I stood silent for a minute, putting the pieces of the puzzle together in my head.

"So you're saying, the reason I can't learn Lightning jitsu is because it's not the country of my birth?"

Kakashi nodded sadly. "It's clear to my Sharigan that your abilities lay in a different type of jitsu, from a different country."

I felt faint on my feet. "Then – then where am I from?"

He shook his head. "Usually I can identify a person's country of origin, but your chakra is completely unknown to me. I can say that it's easily not from any of the five great countries, nor from other main ones. There is a chance your origins could be from overseas, but that's doubtful considering you were raised in Lightning, which has preferred to keep no connection to the east islands."

I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my lip and realized I had been biting it forcefully during Kakashi's speech. Rubbing the spot with my finger, I thought of all this meant to me. I wasn't from the Lightning Country, what was my home was now an unfamiliar place. My father – he wasn't even my father! Did he have any idea I wasn't his? Would he disown me if he found out? Or was he purposely keeping it a secret from me?

I placed my hand on the windowsill to steady myself, and gazed out at the little courtyard. I didn't want this to be true, I couldn't handle it. I just wanted to run away from all this new information I never wanted to know. I turned to Kakashi, who was watching me again.

"I know this is a lot to handle, Seluni. But don't forget that you are the same person you always were. The past is sometimes better left behind." His gaze shifted off me for a moment, as if he was recalling a memory. "It's best we leave this between us, considering the intensity of the fact that you were brought here to bind the Lightning and Wind. If it was known you were an orphan from neither country, you would prove worthless to both."

Those last words stung, but I understood the truth behind them. I was sold to the Kazekage for a political reason, not as some arbitrary well-wishing gift. If Gaara even found out about this . . . he could not. Simple as that.

I took a step back from Kakashi. "I – I need to go . . ." I faltered.

He nodded and stood up, leading me toward the door. "Seluni, I told you this because you have a right to know who you are. But I am putting my complete trust in you not to tell a soul. Because if anyone found out, you and I are likely to be killed."

I stopped and looked inquisitively at him. "Why would you be killed?"

He smiled under his mask. "Because I was the one to arrange the marriage in the first place."

He shut the door, leaving me standing there stunned.

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As I walked down another hallway, dazed in my new knowledge, I hardly felt myself bump into someone. I looked up and saw familiar cold blue eyes looking at me like I was something he stepped in. Apparently he had seen me and stopped walking, and I still walked into him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Gaara." I blushed, my mind racing with the secret I now kept.

"You realize, of course, that the banquet to welcome you here was planned for last night."

The banquet! I had forgotten about it completely after the events of yesterday.

"I'm sorry, Gaara, I forgot, everything that happened –"

"It has been rescheduled for tonight, considering circumstances were out of your control. But you understand it is unheard of here to postpone such an important event. You must act perfectly tonight to mend your reputation which you have so hastily damaged."

I remembered Temari once telling me that my image was a reflection of Gaara's. It suddenly occurred to me that when he saved me from Yaru, he wasn't really saving _me_, but his own status as Kazekage.

I felt a lump in my throat at this realization. But part of me wanted to prove it false.

"Gaara, I – I want to thank you for saving me. But why did you do it?"

He frowned and looked away. "I had to find you, as you are an important means of keeping the treaty with Lightning. But, I wanted to find you, because . . ." His face was hard to read, but I could swear he had become uncomfortable, like that night in my room before he became aggressive.

I suddenly realized how alone we were in the deserted hallway.

Gaara's eyes were on the floor.

"I don't understand any of this. When I look at you, I feel something new inside of me. Like I – I want to be a different person than I am. I don't know if it's good or bad, but it's some sort of change, and I'm not good with change. Maybe that's why I wanted to save you. I want to figure out what this all means. I want to know why my heart stopped when I found out you were in trouble."

Shocked at his open honesty, I took his hand in mine. His eyes drifted back up to mine and I saw true pain in them. The arrogance of the Gaara a moment ago was gone. I felt my lips form a smile as I understood what he was trying to explain.

"It's okay to be afraid of change, Gaara, because change is what love is all about. And I think it's love that you feel."

His hand sprung away from mine as if he'd been burned. With wide eyes he took a step back from me and disappeared in a cloud of sand, which flew out the nearest window.

I ran to look out, but the sand had blow away in the wind.

A few minutes later, I plopped down on my bed face first, tears stinging my eyes. My fists gripped the blanket tightly.

I wanted to cry out all the pain from the day, but I couldn't find the strength. So I lay in my bed, wrapped in a numb confusion about Kakashi's revelation and Gaara's reaction to me.

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I woke up hours later, sore from my position on the bed. I sat up and looked at the picture of my father on the nightstand. What would he think of me now, that I wasn't his daughter? I doubted bitterly that he would show any concern over my predicament, besides the fact that his bargaining chip with the Wind would prove useless.

I pulled open a drawer and took out some notebook paper Temari had given me. As I began to write to Aleitryi from back home, I knew I would have to tell her everything in some sort of code.

I was thinking up some way to disguise the info in a way only Aleitryi would know, when there was a knock on the door.

Kankuro's familiar painted face and large grin appeared. "Oh, so you're awake. You missed lunch and dinner. We had orders not to wake you."

"I appreciate that."

He scratched the back of his head. "Seluni, could you help me with something?"


	5. Chapter 5 Explaining Gaara

Hey everyone! Thank you soo much for reading and reviewing, especially Litha 2124! Thanks for motivating me - you and the other reviews all keep this thing going. Everyone else, please review so I know if I should continue!

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"Um, sure, what is it?"

He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. "I've been trying to talk to Temari . . . she's pretty upset, and she won't explain to anyone exactly what happened. Can you talk some sense into her? We need to file reports about the incident, because there was a death."

I felt queasy as the image of blood splattered walls appeared in my memory. "Yeah, just lead me to her."

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Temari was laying on her bed in her room, bandaged up but otherwise looking well.

"Seluni! Thank goodness you're alright!" She squeaked as she leaned up on one elbow. I noticed several bandages were stained deep red, but she showed no pain.

"Don't worry about me; you're the one who was hurt." I sat on the bed next to her. "Are you healing up?"

She laughed. "I'm healthy enough to attend the ball tonight. Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

I had to admire her for her energy despite her wounds.

"We can get ready for the banquet together. But right now, everyone needs to know what happened with Yaru." Her face paled upon hearing his name.

"Seluni, would you mind telling them instead of me? I – I don't want to talk about it. Besides, you know as much about it as is necessary to tell."

I seriously doubted that, but I agreed. "Should I tell them about your involvement in Drift?" She nodded.

"Gaara or anyone who would read the file won't care enough to confront me about it. And it's all in the past anyway."

"Speaking of Gaara, have you talked to him since last night?"

"No, why?"

"I don't know. I just, I don't understand him at all. One minute he's an absolute monster, the next minute he's basically saying he loves me. But it's like he can't stand talking to me at all. Is it just the demon that makes him this way?"

"What you have to understand about Gaara is that he's used to being hated and feared. Before he became Kazekage, no one would even look him in the eyes, as if he would kill on sight. He grew up knowing that his father as well as everyone around him wanted him dead. And he tried to kill himself, on several occasions. I've seen it. But the sand wouldn't let him die."

I felt a lump in my throat. "What do you mean? I thought he controls the sand."

"He does unless something interferes with his safety. But it's the most depressing thing I've ever seen. I remember being younger and watching Gaara trying to hurt himself, and crying when the kunai was blocked by sand again and again. Imagine your only release from the pain of life is death, but you aren't even allowed the satisfaction of dying." She sighed and shook her head in pity.

Tears welled in my eyes as I listened to Temari, imagining the horrible life Gaara had. I shook my head, afraid to know what pain the boy had been through. It made my troubles seem pathetically easy. At least I had been raised in a nice home, with a semi-loving parent. Well, foster parent.

"So maybe you can sympathize with him a bit. He's a bit rough, but Gaara is my brother, after all."

"I'll try to be patient."

"That's all I ask for." She smiled, "Now, back to business. I might need your help with preparing for the ball, since I'm all wrapped up and such." She held up a bandaged hand as if to prove it.

"Okay. I'll come back later so we can get ready for tonight." I looked up at Kankuro, who was now standing in the doorway.

"I'll fill out any forms for the kidnapping."

He thought for a minute. "Only Wind citizens can do that. But, I suppose you'll be one soon enough. Follow me."

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After an hour or so of filling out paperwork on exactly what happened, who was involved, and what Drift was, I found my way back to my room.

I had planned on beginning my letter home, and was startled when I opened the door and found a man standing in the light of the window, looking at the photograph of my father.

"Hello, Kakashi."

He hummed a response, apparently deep in thought.

I sat on the bed and watched him in silence for a few minutes. "Any reason why you're in my room?"

He finally looked up, as if he was surprised I was still there. "You look nothing like the Raikage." He said plainly.

_Back to this subject again_, I thought, as I sat on the bed. I was sick of this guy sticking his nose in my business.

"Yea, I know I don't."

"And no one's ever questioned your legitimacy before? Your looks, lack of ability?"

Now he'd crossed the line. "Look, Kakashi, I appreciate that you felt the need to tell me the truth about who I am, or am not. But don't talk to me like I'm some poor abandoned bastard child. I was raised as the daughter of a Kage, and you should show some respect."

I had caught him off guard by my arrogant response, as I could tell by his face. I was even surprised by my own words. But then again, I had to tap into some anger once in a while to get my point across.

"I apologize, Seluni, I wasn't trying to be offensive."

Now I felt bad. "Look, Kakashi, I'm sorry. I'm just tired of all these surprises and investigations going on around here. Everyone is so uptight. Everything is so formal. It was so much easier back in the Lightning! I knew who I was, I knew what I was doing in life, and I _didn't_ know the _bipolar sociopath_ I'm going to marry!" I was yelling again, but Kakashi had returned to his usual calm self.

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call him a . . . oh wait, yes I would. Okay, so the customs here are a bit different from Lightning. That's to be expected. The Wind Country has experienced nothing but war and violence for the past few decades. The people here have seen far too much death to keep up a cheerful mood, so don't expect them to all welcome an outsider with open arms."

I tried to protest but Kakashi continued, now looking out the window.

"Kazekage Gaara has not only lived here his whole life, but he was feared by even the bravest of shinobi from the time he was ten. He was a social outcast for years before the country realized they needed his power for their own. That's the only reason he was made Kazekage, and he knows it."

I threw up my hands in defeat. "Okay, I get that this guy had a hard life. But I have to marry this psycho? Why is everyone so afraid of him anyway, just because he has a demon spirit inside him?"

"A demon spirit can very easily take over the body of its host when it becomes excited, sometimes killing anything around it for no reason. I know for a fact that Gaara, or Shukaku at least, had killed over a dozen innocent citizens before he turned twelve."

"Twenty-one," came a voice from the door. Both of us turned to see Temari standing there, still bandaged but otherwise looking the same as usual.

"But he's only twenty now," said Kakashi.

Temari shook her head. "No, he had killed twenty-one innocent citizens before he was twelve. Now onto a better topic of discussion. Seluni, you and I are gonna get ready for the banquet now! Kakashi, go find something else to do. But stay out of trouble! I don't want to have to tell Gaara you were in a room alone with his new wife!" She laughed and watched Kakashi place the photograph down and walk out.

"I should tell you to stay out of trouble, Temari," he said as he left, "Aren't you the one that got her kidnapped in the first place?" Temari frowned and slammed the door in his face. She turned to me with a huge grin.

"He's just _gorgeous_, isn't he?" she gushed.

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I stood alone outside the main door for the banquet hall, picking at my dress in nervousness. Temari and I had spent hours getting ready while she taught me the names of many attendees, and now it all came down to my entrance.

Tapping my foot while trying not to listen to all the chatter of people on the other side of the door, I didn't hear Gaara approach. I eventually felt his presence and turned to see him a few feet behind me in his formal Kazekage clothes. He was silent as he looked me up and down, and stepped up next to me, us both facing the shut door.

"Do you know how to act tonight?" he said quietly.

I nodded. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever.

He cleared his throat. "The wedding has been planned in two days."

I started. "That soon?" I blurted out.

He raised his eyebrow. "Why are you so surprised? You knew the day would come."

I rubbed my forehead in frustration. _In two days, I'll be married. Sworn to spend a lifetime with this guy. I'll be Kazekage no Seluni. Crap._

There was some sort of speech going on inside the hall. A speaker, whose voice I could hear but not his words, earned applause after every few sentences. Then his voice was raised as he called out Gaara's and my names.

Gaara lifted his hand and I cautiously placed mine on his, as I was taught. Clouds of sand appeared from nowhere and pushed open the wide wooden doors. As I got my first glimpse of the ball, Gaara leaned in towards me and, before the applause of a hundred people drowned out anything else, he whispered, "You look gorgeous tonight, Seluni."


	6. Chapter 6 The Banquet

The banquet hall had been intricately decorated with banners, desert plants, and Thousands of flickering candles surrounded the room, bathing the crowd in a soft yellow glow.

As the applause ceased, Gaara paraded me through the crowd to the front of the room, where he proudly surveyed the room. Everyone grew silent as he cleared his throat, and began a dull, formal speech welcoming everyone there and assuring them that this marriage would give peace to Wind and Lightning. He was applauded loudly again.

As conversation resumed, Gaara left my side to speak with other attendees. I stood in my spot, unsure of what to do, when I was approached by several men in formal Wind attire, none younger than forty. Their expressions were painted on as pompous indifference as they asked me about the Lightning.

Hence followed a long, dull evening where I was bombarded with the same questions and asked about my experiences in the country so far. (No one mentioned my kidnapping, so I assumed none knew, and kept it to myself.)

Once in a while I caught myself looking around for my fiancé amidst the crowd. Somehow, when I would spot him, I felt safer knowing he was there. Why was that? I blamed it on the fact that he had saved me . . . there could be no other reason why I wanted to be near him again. Right?

Hours into the ball, I was enjoying one of the few minutes of peace I had between inquisitive well-wishers and aristocrats, when I was approached by Kakashi. He stepped next to me, our backs to the wall and our eyes on the crowd.

Leaning in, he whispered, "I think I've found out more information about that new subject we discussed." He must have been sounding vague to be safe.

"This isn't such a good time to talk about this." I murmured with a false smile, keeping my eyes on a few people ahead of me.

He chuckled. "I'm sorry, I must be more concerned about this then you are."

"Not true!" My eyes darted over to his. "I just found out that I'm gonna get married in two days. I really don't want any more stress. Can't this wait until after the wedding?"

"After the wedding, I'm leaving for Konoha. I'm only here as a mediator to make sure everything goes according to plan."

"You make it sound like I'm just a puppet in this entire thing."

"Aren't you?"

I glared at him, then regained my composure to look pleased in case anyone was watching. There was a moment of silence between us.

"Kakashi?"

"Mmh?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Arrange the marriage, you ass."

"Oh. It's nothing personal, Seluni, I had my orders. Konoha wants peace between countries as much as the rest. I don't know how the deal was first formed, but marriages of convenience have always played a role in politics."

"I know. I just never thought I'd be caught up in one."

"Seluni," I jumped at his voice. Gaara always seemed to sneak up on me.

"Oh, good evening, Kazekage. Excuse me, I have to see a man about a dog."

I waited for Gaara to speak as he looked at me. I felt a bit awkward under his gaze and looked at the ground.

"Follow me," was all he said, as he walked away from the crowds. I caught up with him and remained at his side as he led me out of the room through the back door I had left through at breakfast. No one seemed to notice as we left.

Once he shut the door behind us, we were alone in the dim hallway. I hardly had a chance to wonder what was going on when I was pushed against the wall by his strong hands on my shoulders.

"Gaara, what –" I was cut off by a rough kiss as he pressed his body against mine. _Not this again_! I thought.

His big hands ran up my sides, causing my body to shutter. I found myself kissing him back, letting him tongue explore my mouth as his hands ran across my chest. I knew it was wrong, but at the moment, all I could think about was the rush I was getting from it.

I ran my hands around his back and I heard him hum into my mouth. He ended the kiss and dug his head into the crook of my neck, smothering it in kisses.

His hot breath heaved on my neck. "How do you do this to me?" as he nipped my neck in the same spot as he did the first night.

Suddenly I realized what was going on. I ducked under his arms and jumped to the other side of the hallway. He growled and walked towards me again.

"Gaara – stop," I backed up. "This isn't you. This isn't what you want. It's that demon in you; I know it's him now." I had hurt with the realization, but I knew he would hate me if I let him do something he'd regret.

"This isn't Shukaku," his voice was stern as he grabbed my arm. "This is me, Seluni. And I've put this off for far too long."

"Wh-"

He pulled me in and kissed me again, but this time I was prepared. I ducked under his arms and darted behind him.

I began running down the hallway. I knew he was wrong, that it was that damn demon. I also knew that part of me didn't want it to be the demon . . .

I had only gotten a few yards away when something grabbed my ankle, yanking me back as something caught my fall. I looked down. Sand was pooling around me, carrying me back to him.

It snaked around my arms and ankles, trapping me on the bed of sand. Gaara stood silently watching me near him.

"Stop, Gaara, let me go! This _isn't_ you, its Shukaku. Don't let him take your wife."

He laughed, raising the sand so that I was standing up, still trapped to the sand behind me.

Oh no, a cliffhanger! I'm sorry this chapter is so short – I've been so busy, and there are so little reviews to motivate me!!

Not that I'm ungrateful. I love you all!


	7. Chapter 7 A Rose

I stepped out of the bath and dried myself off, wrapping myself in a soft cotton robe. Walking back into my room with my hair dripping down, I saw a single red rose placed on my bed. There was no note.

I picked it up and examined the beautiful flower. Its crimson petals gracefully folded over its edges and scented the room with a sweet perfume.

Had it been from Gaara, as an apology for the night before? And what did he remember of it?

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"Stop, Gaara, let me go! This _isn't_ you, its Shukaku. Don't let him take your wife."

He laughed, raising the sand so that I was standing up, still trapped to the sand behind me.

"Does it matter, whether it's him or me that takes you?" His voice was deep and lustful as he pulled me back to him. My struggling had ceased; I had exhausted myself in trying to escape. I could only try to talk my way out of this.

"You _are_ the demon, aren't you? Why can't you leave him alone?"

He laughed again, in a voice deeper than Gaara's. "Oh, he wants me here. He _needs_ me inside of him to be strong. Without me, he's nothing. And without you . . . well, living in a boy's body is hardly fun unless he uses it. Understand?"

He stroked my cheek with his finger, then grabbed my throat and pulled me to him into a kiss. I turned my head away.

"Don't you care whether Gaara wants it or not?" I gasped in his grip.

He smirked and suddenly thrust his hips into mine, letting me feel a large bulge from through his robes.

"Feel that, sweetie? That's all him. He wants this. He just doesn't have the courage to act."

He put his mouth to my ear, licking it before whispering, "I can hear him, Seluni, when I take control. He's shouting now, begging for me to stop. Says you're not married yet; as if that makes a difference to me. The boy doesn't even know what's good for him. That's where I come in."

My mind was racing with scenarios where I could escape. But no one was nearby, and I was weak. The only one who could save me now was Gaara himself.

"Gaara, listen to me! I know you can hear. You have to fight him, you – "

Pounds of sand covered my face and tightened around my throat, cutting off my air supply. I struggled, panicked, thinking I was going to die, when all the sand fell from around me and I threw my hands up to guard my throat.

I caught my breath and imagined that Gaara had beaten Shukaku again, just in time. But then I saw that we were no longer in the hallway. Gaara stood next to me in a dimly lit room. On the other side of him was a bed.

My eyes widened. "No, Shukaku, please let me go!" He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me to my feet.

"You have no right to address me, human." His eyes flashed in anger as he threw me onto the bed. He approached me slowly with a dangerous expression.

He climbed onto the bed and crawled onto me, straddling my hips with his legs. I could once again feel the bulge in his robes as he leaned into the crook of my neck and began nipping at it with increasing roughness.

I moaned in sinful pleasure but tried pushing him off of me. My attempts were met with sand wrapping around my wrists and ankles that kept me to the bed. I watched in dazed awe as thousands of grains of sand circled above us in a soothing way that made my struggles weaken. He _will_ be my husband, a voice murmured within me.

I felt a strange peace wash over me in accepting what would happen, so that I hardly felt the warm hands that ran up my shirt and around my chest, rubbing my breasts and causing the man above me to heave hot breaths into my neck.

Gaara was so concentrated on me that he didn't hear someone appear behind him. My eyes were open, however, and I saw Kakashi take a moment to survey the scene before interrupting us.

"Kazekage." He whispered boldly.

Gaara's head whipped around to view the ninja. "What are you doing here?" he hissed. Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"I know you are the demon controlling him now." Kakashi said firmly. "Gaara, you hear me too. I won't let you touch her until you are married. I'm here to make sure this marriage runs smoothly, and your actions now are a threat to that."

Gaara hesitated. Apparently, Shukaku was turning over the possibilities in his mind. I held my breath, praying that the demon cared about the peace treaty, or at least wanted to avoid fighting Kakashi.

Gaara leapt off the bed to face Kakashi. His hand raised and sand slowly began crawling up Kakashi's legs.

"Demon, do you know what you're doing?" Kakashi asked calmly.

The sand traveled farther up his legs. The ninja's covered face remained unchanged as he unsuccessfully tried to pull himself free. Gaara's eyes closed as he smiled at the situation.

There was nothing I could do to free Kakashi, but Gaara's closed eyes gave me a chance, and I took it. I leapt off the bed and threw my arms around Gaara. Having temporarily caught him off guard, I squeezed him tightly, and whispered his name in his ear, hoping to reach the real Gaara inside.

There was a moment of silence where I feared he would throw me off of him. But Gaara's hand fell to his side and he pulled me away to look into my eyes. I saw his expression change from the twisted look of Shukaku to Gaara's own handsome face, before his eyes rolled over and he slumped to the floor, me falling down with him.

I lifted myself up and pulled Gaara into my lap. I wiped back the tears that tickled my cheeks, as I examined his calm unconscious face.

"Gaara . . ." I whispered.

Kakashi put his hand on my shoulder. The sand had released when Gaara lost consciousness.

"Seluni, let me take him to the infirmary." He said gently. "Go back to your room and get a good night's sleep."

As if I could. I watched Kakashi lift the man up from my lap and carry him out the door. I stared at the empty threshold for a minute before clumsily getting to my feet and walking back to my room.

I was in a daze while walking back to my room, and was surprised when I found my own door in front of me.

_I must be getting used to finding my way around_, I mused.

The last thing I thought of before I fell asleep was how nice it would be to have a normal day again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I placed the rose back down on my bed, and then changed into some decent clothes before breakfast.

As usual, Kankuro came in to wake me up, and was surprised that I wasn't sleeping late for once.

"Getting used to our time schedule, finally?" he asked with a grin. I suddenly had the urge to wipe that permanent smile off his face.

"Kankuro, Gaara told me you'd be doing my laundry from now on," I lied with a sweet smile.

He scowled and looked at my overflowing hamper. I had refused to wear one outfit for long because of all the sand that got into the clothes. That would take some getting used to.

"You're kidding. Fine, if Gaara said so . . ." he mumbled and shut the door. I laughed at my own genius.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gaara wasn't at breakfast. His empty seat seemed like an insult to me as I ate in silence again, since Kakashi was decidedly ignoring me. I missed the personal and casual talk of meals back home.

_I have to get away from this place, if only for a while_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After breakfast, I dressed to go out into the town, fully aware that I had nowhere to go. Walking out of the building was easy, as the guards now knew my face. I stepped into the streets and wandered around, looking at the shops and the people, trying to decipher why they would choose to live in such a dreary place.

At one clothing store I visited, I got the feeling I was being watched. Peering over a rack of robes, I saw that several of the women in the store were looking at me and whispering. I ducked back out of sight, pulling my scarf over my face, and left.

I was in such a hurry to leave that I bumped into someone just outside the store, sending me sprawling to the ground. A hand was extended to me. I took it and saw Kakashi's face as I pulled myself up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Just tried to get away from uh . . ." I glanced into the window and saw the group of women just behind the glass, staring openly at me. _Great, they saw me fall._

"You weren't running from any other attackers, were you? You seem to attract mischief."

"As if you could protect me."

He gave a fake expression of hurt. "Okay, so I wasn't at my best fighting performance last night. But you're okay, and more importantly, I'm okay, aside from a few sand burns."

I sneered at his arrogance. "Didn't you have something to tell me?"

"Ah, yes. Walk with me, and keep your voice low."

We headed out down the city street, two figures, faces covered, speaking so calmly about the unthinkable conspiracy that could jeopardize the peace between nations. Kakashi got right to the point.

"When I asked you to perform a jutsu, drawing out your chakra, I noticed something vaguely familiar about it, something I couldn't put my finger on. I thought a lot about it, and finally realized that your chakra had waves similar to the Inuzuka Clan of the Fire Country."

"Inuzuka Clan?"

"They specialize in canine-like jutsus, and each clan member has a dog or wolf companion they live and fight with. It's a possibility you might have some Inuzuka blood in you. But there's a great deal of other chakra as well, which means you aren't anywhere near being considered part of their clan."

"Okay, so I come from people who like dogs. That's hardly something to discuss. Any other news?"

"Seluni, I don't think you're taking this seriously. What you aren't considering is how your lack of proper lineage will affect you in the future."

It took a minute for his words to sink in.

"Wait, you don't mean . . . kids?" he nodded. "Kakashi, damn it, I'm not even married yet!"

"You have to think ahead. What if your children don some mark that proves you aren't the child of the Raikage? Do you want to explain to Gaara why your child doesn't resemble the Lightning and the Wind?"

I grimaced at the thought.

"Alright, I see your point. What can I do?"

"I've already gotten started. I sent out a letter asking one of the Inuzuka members to visit the Wind. While they are here, they and their dogs will meet you and hopefully will figure out if you are in fact related to their clan."

I rubbed my temples and glanced up at the street ahead.

"What excuse did you give for them coming here?"

He shrugged. "I'll think of something when the time comes. But for now, I believe that's Temari and Kankuro approaching."

I focused my gaze on the two shinobi, Kankuro with his hands in his pockets and Temari's hand up in a wave to me.

"Huh. And here I was thinking I couldn't be recognized with my face covered."

"Ah. Well, seeing as it's not working, you might as well remove the scarf. Don't think you flatter me by stealing my look."

I aimed a punch at his shoulder but missed by a mile as he dodged it.

"And on that note, I take my leave." He smiled boldly and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I was grumbling to myself about rude men when the two shinobi approached. Temari, significantly less bandaged then yesterday, threw me a hug and invited me to walk with them.

"What were you doing with Kakashi just now?" she asked.

"I just ran into him a minute ago. We were discussing the wedding." _More or less the truth._

Temari pouted. "Why did he leave so soon? I wanted to invite him out to lunch."

"What're you going after him for?" Kankuro smiled mischievously. "I thought you liked that lazy kid in Konoha."

Temari smacked him upside the head in retort. "I don't like that brat, I just enjoy his company."

Kankuro grimaced and massaged the spot on his head. "Damn, Temari, take a joke."

"Maybe if you'd tell better ones, I'd laugh!"

"What's funnier than your lack of love life? Ow! Cut it out!"

"You baby. Hey Seluni, what's wrong?"

I realized I had been staring off into space during their spat.

"Nothing's wrong!" I said too quickly. I had been thinking about my conversation with Kakashi.

"Was it something Kakashi said?"

"No, not at all," I flinced inwardly at how close to the truth she was.

The two looked at me suspiciously before Temari nodded in understanding.

"You're homesick, aren't you? Well, let's go out for lunch. No one will mind, and it'll cheer you up!"

"Sure, that'd be great."

_That was too close_, I thought. _I had better keep my guard up around them now._

xxxxxxxxx

Ok random note – I found a song that could be made for Gaara – "Blood Red Sandman" by Lordi.

I recommend it, that's all.

And a big thanks to all reviewers!


	8. Chapter 8 Dogs and Wolves

The next day after breakfast, I asked Temari to give me a tour of the entire city, so that I could see more than the shopping district. It was more out of sheer boredom than interest that I asked her, but she immediately agreed. She always seemed excited at the prospect of shopping opportunities.

We walked through the crowded streets, past stores, homes, parks, and training fields, meeting the outer city walls every so often.

At a certain slum-ish residential area, I sensed the presence of something from an alley between houses.

"Wait a second," I called to Temari, and ventured to investigate.

I was peering into the shadows when a gray ball of fluff jumped onto my head. I yelped and tripped back in surprise, landing on my ass and feeling stupid. The upside down face of a dog looked happily down at me from its perch on my head.

My eyebrow rose as I examined my attacker's face. He was various shades of gray, with vibrant green markings on his cheeks and forehead. I heard Temari burst into a fit of laughter.

"You absolute klutz! You have a _dog_ on your head!" She clutched her sides in a cramp as she laughed for a few minutes. I waited patiently for her to stop.

Picking the little dog up off my head, I put him on the ground in front of me. The green fur on his face seemed to stretch out like fire, consuming his ears and neck, until it finally faded to gray along his back. We looked at one another for a minute before he barked and licked my hand.

Temari had stopped laughing and walked over to us. "Hey, that's not a dog," she said curiously, "That's definitely a wolf pup. I wonder what it's doing out here."

"A wolf? I've never seen one before."

"That's weird."

"We don't have them in Lightning."

She looked surprised. "Well, it definitely doesn't belong to anyone. Look at how thin it is. And its fur is a mess."

"It's a he."

"How do you know?"

"No idea. Hey, does Gaara allow animals in the building?"

She smiled. "You want to keep him? Yea, there's no problem with that. But you're gonna have to watch him and all that. Like making sure he doesn't bother anyone. Damn, I sound like a mother."

I chuckled at her, but inside I was a bit hurt. _Is that what a mother is like?_

Temari poked the wolf's nose until he snapped at her playfully. "You can take care of him just like a dog, I should think. Anyway, let's get back home. Almost time for lunch!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I shut my new pup in my room before heading off to lunch. As soon as I shut the door, I felt a sort of sad detachment from my pet. I had given him some meat and water, so he should be fine for the time being. But I couldn't help but worry about him as I sat down to eat.

A few minutes into the meal, Kakashi appeared, late as usual, yet smelling like an animal. He apologized to Gaara, who shrugged it off and continued a conversation about some boring topic with other shinobi seated nearby. I think it was about redesigning the outer city walls in case of attack. _Hm. I thought the Wind was all about peace now. Why could they be expecting an attack?_

Kakashi sat down and began scarfing down his food. I held my nose and groaned. "You smell like a dog."

He barked out a laugh and continued throwing food down his throat. "I've been surrounded by dogs and dog lovers all morning. I'd like to see if you'd smell any better."

"So the Inuzukas are here?"

"Yea. We can stop by after lunch. They don't plan on staying here long."

"How many are there?"

"Um . . . six," he said between bites, "Well, two of them are human. There's Hana and her dogs, the Haimaru Triplets, and Kiba and his dog Akamaru."

"Kakashi," Gaara interrupted suddenly, "You mentioned the Inuzukas would be here. I would like to meet with them as well."

"Great," he feigned a smile, "You can meet them with us later today. Of course, they are only here to collect a few nasty strays which would otherwise have been put down. I don't know how they find out about things like that. Or why they care so much. But to each his own."

"Why do you want to meet with them?" I asked Gaara, who in turn looked shocked that I had the audacity to question him.

I was irritated when he answered calmly, as if speaking to a child. "I attended my Chunnin exams two years ago with Inuzuka Kiba. I want to see if he's gotten any stronger, or at least if he's gained any common sense. Why are you meeting them?"

I picked at my food. "I want them to check up on a wolf pup I just found this morning."

"A wolf?"

I forced a sweet, innocent smile and batted my eyes. "Aw, can't I keep him? Please, please, please!"

I heard Kakashi snort into his food, trying to hold back a laugh.

Gaara actually smiled a bit. It was a cute little smile, which made me wonder if I'd ever seen him do so before. I grinned back.

"Yes, you can keep it," he said lightly, "but don't give me that look." He leaned in close. "Not unless we're alone, that is."

"Gaara, do you remember any part of last night, and what you did?"

He leant back in his chair. "Most of it. But you know I can't control it. I won't apologize again."

I felt anger rise up in me. He wouldn't even apologize? "You should! I think I deserve at least an 'I'm sorry' from you after what you did."

He glared at me with cold eyes again. "You know it wasn't me."

"I don't care!" I hardly realized I was yelling. "It's not enough that I've been basically sold out of my country to marry a man I never met, I didn't even complain when I was made to leave everything I owned on some random road getting here. But the least you could do is apologize like a normal human being when you try to r-" my mouth was suddenly clamped shut. I reached up and found that a patch of sand had covered my mouth. I couldn't pry it off.

"Gaara!" I tried to scream, but it came out as a muffle.

He stood up and gave me a deadly look that made me shake in my seat.

"Don't you ever," he spat angrily, "try to insult me again. I will not have my _wife_ challenging my authority. And don't think this will not go unpunished."

He sat down quietly, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room. I stared at my plate in humiliation. The sand itched my face, but held on fast. Even if I wanted to finish my meal, I couldn't.

Glancing up hatefully at Gaara, I saw that he began speaking to Kankuro, and conversation soon resumed at the table. However, it was not so loud that I couldn't hear a sharp clicking noise from down the hallway.

Bursting from the open door the food servers entered through was a blur of gray and green which launched itself at our table. Every ninja at the table stood up in fighting stances, almost knocking over their plates in their quick movements.

The gray blur jumped onto the table, sending food flying into the air. It skidded to a stop on the table between Gaara and me, growling deeply and looking very formidable for a small puppy.

"What the hell?" he snapped at me. "Is this your mutt?"

I nodded hesitantly, then carefully picked the pup up before he tried to do something rash like attacking the Kazekage. The little wolf nuzzled against my arms as I carried him out of the hall, and up to my room. Thankfully, the sand covering my mouth fell off as I went.

My door was shut as when I left it. "How did you get out?" I murmured to the pup as I opened the door.

My room, however, was not as I left it. Besides the mess of torn sheets and pillows on the floor, there were several large dogs lying patiently in the mess. Two of the wildest looking people I'd ever seen sat on my bed, watching me expectantly. Apparently they had no shame for their dogs trashing my room.

There was a woman, a few years older than me, and a boy about my age, both with unkempt brown hair and a streak of red down each cheek. I could tell immediately that they were related.

"There you are," said the woman kindly, "I just sent Toboe to fetch you. Nice pup, he is."

"Uh, thanks." I put him on the ground and he scampered to one of the large wolfish dogs, flopping onto it. "Did you say Toboe?"

"That's his name. Didn't he tell you?"

"Um . . ."

The boy stood up and extended his hand. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, this is my sister Hana. Here's the Haimaru Triplets, and Akamaru." At the last name, a dog's head the size of my pillow appeared from behind the bed. I jumped in surprise and cursed under my breath as the huge thing looked at me with intelligent eyes.

"Now, down to business, dear," said Hana. "I understand this is top-secret stuff. Now, don't worry, we ain't planning on telling a soul. Same goes for the dogs."

"Good, I was worried the dogs would be gossips," I said dryly.

Hana tilted her head. "Why? Did you hear that they were?"

I opened my mouth but closed it as I realized she was serious. These people were strange to say the least.

I heard a noise near my ear and suddenly realized that Kiba was sniffing me. "Um . . . do I smell?"

He produced a toothy grin. "Like Toboe and food and perfume and anger and Gaara and sand and fear." He spouted out in one breath.

"Wow, and I thought I smelt nice."

He looked surprised. "You do!" he said innocently.

"Do you smell, um, something like why Kakashi asked you to see me?"

Hana stood up and approached me until she was inches from my face. She inhaled and closed her eyes.

"I don't know," said Kiba, "It can't just be Toboe . . ."

"What?" I asked, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Hana tapped her chin.

"You smell like wolf, but not from Toboe, no. It's definitely comin' from you. Yup. Damn, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were one."

Kiba nodded vigorously. "Yea, wolf. You're not a wolf are you?"

I barked out a laugh. "Not that I know of."

"Well you sure smell like one."

"You can stop telling me that now."

"I think –" Kiba hesitated. "You do smell a bit like us Inuzukas. But there's something foreign there."

Hana nodded. "Her eyes remind me of Kuromaru . . . Our mother's wolf," she explained. "Perhaps we should have brought him."

At that moment, Kakashi opened the door and with a last glance down the hallway, closed the door quietly.

Hana stood up a bit straighter and smiled at him. "Hey Kakashi,"

"Good afternoon, Hana, Kiba." Kiba grunted back a hello.

"We examined her as you asked," she said intelligently, "She smells like a wolf. That's definitely a clue. And her eyes look like a wolf's eyes."

Kakashi leaned over to look at my eyes, his eyes laughing. "They look normal to me,"

"That's because you aren't an Inuzuka, dumbass," Kiba retorted.

The ninja stood and eyed Kiba dangerously. Hana noticed and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ignore him, Kakashi," she said sweetly, and I saw his eye soften as he looked at her.

"I won't take it to heart, Hana," he smiled warmly at the woman.

_Temari would be upset to hear about this_, I thought humorously.

Kakashi turned face us all. "Gaara is waiting to see you three. Seluni, bring your dog to support our story."

"Wolf!" Kiba and Hana chimed in.


	9. Chapter 9 The Wedding

After the Inuzukas left, led by Kakashi out of the Sand, Gaara and I sat on the bench of the courtyard in silence. The sun was warm on my face and a light breeze reached down to us from the open sky.

"Tomorrow is the wedding," I mused, not really expecting an answer from my partner. He closed his dark lidded eyes and leaned his head back to face the afternoon sunlight. He looked relaxed as a sleeping cat. I'd never seen him so comfortable before.

It was a strange thing to see. Usually, everything with him was so . . . intense. He was either completely in love with me, or completely angry at me, or completely ignored me. I had no idea how to act around him, what little things would set off his anger. Only now could I see the real person inside his shell of anger. And he was tired.

"Are you nervous?" he asked. I was a little taken aback by his sincerity.

"Of course. But it's a wedding; I guess I'd be nervous no matter who I was marrying."

Silence. He opened one eye to look at me. "Are you afraid because of me?" he asked quietly.

I wasn't sure. Gaara definitely scared me at times. But right now, in front of the handsome man napping next to me, I couldn't feel the fear. While he rested like this, I felt almost . . . comfortable around him. I laid my head back on his shoulder, and felt him jump slightly in surprise.

"Calm down, Gaara," I murmured. "Let's just sit here for a while." His body relaxed again and we napped in silence but for the faint sounds of life going on beyond the courtyard walls.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

At dinner, Gaara was a bit kinder to me than usual, inviting me into a conversation about the possibility of war between the Fire Country and Sound Country. Although the topic was boring, I was eager to be included in such an important conversation.

"Seluni, you traveled through the Sound to get to us here," said Gaara, "Did you notice how many villages you passed through?"

"Um, I think a few more than ten."

"And their sizes?" Baki chimed in.

"It took maybe half an hour to pass through each. But we were traveling slowly."

Kankuro leaned in, grinning, from the other end of the table. "Slowly? If we hadn't come to fetch you, you still wouldn't have reached the Wind yet!"

I glared at him. "At least the first half of my trip was more comfortable." He shrugged it off and resumed eating.

Later that night I sat alone on my bed, watching Toboe rip apart a particularly ugly brown pillow. I thought about Inuzuka Hana's comment about Toboe _telling_ her it was his name.

"Toboe," I whispered, feeling foolish for even trying this. The dog completely ignored me, intent on killing his helpless feathered prey. Disappointed, I tried one more time. "Toboe, can you understand me?"

No reaction. I sighed and fell back onto the bed, watching the clouds slowly cover a full white moon.

A knock on the door, and Kakashi stepped in. I sat up to greet him.

"I want to talk to you about this afternoon." He sat down next to me.

"We still don't know much about who you are. I thought the Inuzukas could help more, but now I don't know what the next step is. I think you should forget about all this, and accept that we may not ever know where you are from."

"I can't just forget about it. I have to find out where I was born!"

"It doesn't matter where you were born. You are here now, and you have to accept the inevitable. And this peace treaty is important! Don't be so selfish."

_Don't be so selfish_. My father said those words to me when he first told me I was going to be sold to Gaara for peace. Hearing those words made anger burn inside me. Kakashi was just like the old geezer. I stood up to face him with a stern face.

"Listen, Kakashi. I know now why I could never perform jutsu and why I couldn't follow in my father's footsteps, but it doesn't help much. All my life, I've been forced to question my own worth, and since I came here, I've had to begin questioning my own identity. I hardly know where to turn anymore, who to turn to. After all, I'm still a stranger here, even though I look the part of a normal Wind citizen."

"But you aren't a normal citizen," he explained, "You're the wife of a Kage, probably the most powerful title a non-ninja woman could own. Your past is hardly important compared to the future. I recommend you accept that you are now Kazekage no Seluni, forget the surname that you lost, and look to your new life here."

"How can I do that when I'm unhappy not knowing who I was, who my real parents were? What if I have a family out there, who might think I'm dead?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Seluni! _Let_ them think you're dead. Because you are a powerful person here. Your situation in life is now above any of the most prestigious clan leaders or lords in the world. As I said before, I suggest forgetting all that nonsense about your past."

_Nonsense_. _That selfish prick. To think that I trusted this man, who now was telling me to deny my past. But I could never do that._

In an instant, I decided I had to find a way out of the Wind, if it killed me. I would forget my father's peace treaty; forget the life I used to live. It pained me a bit to know that if I left, I would be proving both men correct when they claimed I was selfich, but I didn't care anymore. They had no idea what it meant to me to find out who I was. I knew I would not be able to return to the Lightning or to the Wind. I would be an outcast, never welcomed back because of my selfishness.

_If only I wasn't getting married tomorrow. That might make things more complicated. _

I looked up at Kakashi, who had a strange look in his eye. "Don't try to run away, Seluni," he said menacingly, "I won't allow it. I pity your situation, but my orders are clear – to make sure this wedding happens." He stood up and touched my chin, raising my face to look at his. I sniffed and fought back tears.

"Try to be happy here. I know you can be if you try." He walked out and closed the door behind him.

I looked over at Toboe, who was now sleeping soundly on the pillow he had been tearing apart. I smiled at him, wiped my eyes and got ready for bed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I dreamt that night about sparing with Gaara in a training ring under the stars. He circled around me, his face barely visible from the dark shadows and with beads of sweat glistening on his skin in the pale moonlight. His deliberate footsteps hardly made a sound as he calmly walked around me with sharp eyes focused on mine. I maintained a fighting stance, wearily turning so he was never at my back.

Suddenly sand shot up from the ground and grabbed my feet, swimming up my legs. I looked not at the sand but at Gaara, and I performed some seals threw my hands in front of me. I could literally feel the chakra flowing through me and towards my hands. Bright bursts of fire shot out of them, filling my vision until all I could see through the mess of bright orange were his light blue eyes staring at me without emotion.

I woke up remembering only vaguely the strange dream, but pushed it out of my mind. I had more important things to think about.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everyone was bustling around the building, frantically getting ready for the wedding. It would take place outside at sundown, in some large courtyard where apparently the wind couldn't reach.

The entire morning and afternoon I was being primped to look my best. Temari had somehow gotten my measurements, and presented me with a beautiful white gown for that night. My hair was done and I was taught my lines for the ceremony.

Trying on the dress, I looked in the mirror to see how I looked. My brown hair was pinned up formally, and I wore my favorite green necklace that matched my eyes and contrasted wonderfully with the dress.

I'm really getting married. I had always dreamt of it, like any girl, but I stupidly thought I would love the man I was wed to! And if only my friends from home were here to be with me. I suddenly remembered my unsent letter to Aleitryi from back home. I picked it up from the nightstand and reread it.

_Dear Aleitryi, _

_How are you? It's been only a few days and I miss your company so much! I have finally become accustomed to the formality and strict schedules here, and I have made a fast friend in the Kazekage's sister. _

_The people of the Sand Village are strange . . . My first day here I was kidnapped by some rebels, but soon rescued by the Kazekage. The incident led me to the knowledge that I am extremely similar to those children we played with every Wednesday, such that it caused me to drop out of school. Can you believe it? No wonder that old geezer always complained about me, instead of treating me like the Kage's daughter. I feel so lost here without you to confide in; all this new information is driving me nuts!_

_By the time this letter reaches you, I will have been wed to the Kazekage. I'm not sure how this will all work out. He really doesn't seem like the husband type. _

_Please visit as soon as possible, I miss you and everyone back home. If you cannot visit, please write back! _

_Your friend in the Sand, Seluni_

I sealed the letter and placed it back on my nightstand, planning to send it with the mail soon. Would Aleitryi understand the encoded message? The "children" we used to watch were the orphans of the village, and the "old geezer" was the name I called my father when we fought.

Temari opened the door and gasped. "You look stunning!" she squealed, and gave me a big hug. I can't wait for tonight. I love weddings!"

I forced a laugh and fixed my hair in the mirror. "How much longer until we begin?"

She smiled. "I came here to fetch you now. The wedding begins in half an hour."

"Half an hour? I- I'm not ready!"

"What else do you have to do?"

I couldn't think of a damn thing. I pet Toboe goodbye and nodded to Temari. "I guess I have to go then."

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The courtyard wasn't far from the Kazekage's building. It was situated between four tall buildings, decorated with so many plants such that we could see nothing but the flowers around us and stars above us. It was a breathtaking sight as I peeked around the archway entrance to see the huge crowd of people sitting down. My stomach flipped and I took some deep breaths.

"Psst, Seluni, stand here!" Temari and a few kunoichi were waiting for me in the back, more or less my bridesmaids. The crowd hushed as I heard slow footsteps enter the courtyard from a side entrance. _That must be Gaara,_ I thought.

Music began playing, and I got into place as Temari and the others began entering the archway in a line. I stepped in last, of course, and followed them down the aisle into the courtyard, where a few hundred people were craning their necks to look at me.

I looked up nervously to the end of the aisle, where Gaara stood before a village elder.

Gaara appeared handsome as ever in his Kage robes, lit by the glow of lamps and starlight. He looked proudly down at me as I walked up the few steps to where he stood. I stopped next to him, and the music ceased and he took my hand. And just looking into his eyes made the crowd disappear and calmed my nerves.

The ceremony began, and took its time in reciting old lines, following Wind tradition. I'm not ashamed to say I zoned out for part of it, caught up in tension and the fact that Gaara's hand still held onto mine.

Eventually, we made our closing vows, his promising to protect me and my promising to obey him. "You may kiss the bride," rung in my ears as Gaara leaned in to give me a light kiss on my lips. I vaguely noticed how normal and . . . _un-demon-like_ the sweet kiss was. I wasn't used to it, but I found myself wanting to kiss him longer.

Gaara pulled away and we faced the crowd, holding our joined hands up for all to see. The crowd burst into applause, and didn't stop clapping as he led me down the aisle again and through the archway.

We walked back to the Kage building with rows of people applauding all the way. It seemed like the whole village had been waiting to see us. I blushed as I passed a group of young men who were eyeing me up and down in jealousy. I held onto Gaara's hand tightly as we swiftly neared the building.

Just at the entrance stood Temari and Kankuro, who must have run there because I saw them at the ceremony. Gaara finally stopped and greeted them. _Woah. Is he grinning?_ I looked at his face curiously. Yes, he had a wonderful smile, but it was odd to see him so happy.

Temari and Kankuro beamed at him. "Congratulations, Gaara," she gave him a huge with tears in her eyes. "Seluni," she hugged me as well whispering in my ear, "Thank you so much. I've never seen him smile like this before."

I smiled back and looked over at my husband. I couldn't help feeling happy that I did something right for once.

Kankuro shook Gaara's hand. "Good luck, man. Hey," he leaned in to whiper to him, but spoke loud enough so I could hear, "Have some fun tonight!"

I very daintily kicked Kankuro sharply in the leg. He yelled in surprise then laughed seeing it was from me. Both siblings moved aside to let us pass.

It hit me as we entered the front doors exactly what Kankuro had meant. Suddenly Gaara was pulling me rather than leading me. I had slowed down as we walked towards the back of the building, memories of the last few nights flooding into my head.

"Gaara, wait," I tugged on his robe. His smile was gone, replaced by his familiar stern expression.

_Damn . . . this isn't good. . . ._


	10. Chapter 10 To Bed

"We're married now, Seluni," he whispered, his lips grazing mine, "It's mandatory that we . . . do this."

My mind was whirling. I could hardly move as Gaara's body was pressing me to the bedroom wall. Part of me knew he was right – how could I deny my husband in this way? – But another part of me hated this feeling of weakness he gave me, hated the way he owned me. I didn't want to live as his inferior, being taken advantage of whenever he wanted me.

"Gaara, I'll be with you on one condition." I watched the corner of his mouth twist into a smile. "I want to make love to you. You, not the demon inside you."

The demon blinked and snickered and Gaara's head nodded a bit as he regained control of his body. His forehead drooped onto mine and he closed his eyes, a delicate smile dancing on his lips. He then took my hand and led me to the bed, his grip noticeably softer than before.

Sitting on the bed and placing me on his lap, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck.

"Thank you, Seluni," he said between kisses, "He's letting me have you for myself."

His hand reached down to hold my legs tightly to his lap. I leaned away from his kisses to look at the face of my new husband. His light eyes shone in contrast to his dark lids, and his lips were parted in a soft smile.

"You will have me for yourself," I murmured as I touched his face. And I meant it, I did want him now, I wanted the real Gaara that wasn't willing to force me into submission.

He was gentle as he placed me down on the bed and crawled over me. He was gentle while he stripped off my clothes and his own. As he parted my legs and pushed himself deep inside of me, I gasped his name and dug my hands in his hair. It hurt much more than I expected, but he was patient and rained kisses down my neck and shoulder until the pain ceased. Pleasure washed over me as he pumped deep into me, satisfaction clear on his face.

"You're mine," he whispered afterwards, while we lay breathless and sweated under the covers, "You're all mine."

I leaned over to kiss the tattoo on his forehead and snuggled into his arms to sleep.

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eek! this chapter is too short, i know!

im not sure whether to continue with the storyline or have seluni find out where shes from. suggestions??


	11. Chapter 11 Training

I woke up suddenly in the night to the absence of Gaara's warm body next to mine. Opening my eyes, I didn't need the blue moonlight streaming through the window to tell me that he wasn't in the room. I gazed lovingly over at Toboe, who slept soundly on his favorite torn pillow.

Easing myself off the bed, I walked to the window to look out on the large courtyard. The night was bright and silent, but I felt the presence of someone nearby.

Raising my eyes to the sky, I saw a dark figure sitting on the rooftop, almost perfectly silhouetted against the white moon. It was him, I was sure of it.

I rested my head against the cool wall and watched him, wishing suddenly that I had the ability to climb up there to meet him.

The figure shifted, and I felt Gaara's cold eyes on me. The figure disappeared into sand, and I felt warm hands on my waist, pulling me back towards him.

"There's my beauty," he whispered in my ear. I turned around and rested my head on his shoulders.

"Why were you out there?" His arms held me to his chest and he exhaled into my hair. "I don't sleep well. I've grown accustomed to watching to moon. It's been my only friend since before I can remember."

I smiled sadly, thinking of the poor life Gaara led before he became Kazekage.

"You have me now," I murmured, not sure what I meant by it. Did he have me? As a wife yes, and as a lover, but I didn't believe I loved him. I didn't think I could.

"Seluni?" he whispered, "Would you like to watch it with me?" I was a bit surprised at his invitation. I had grown used to him liking his solitude.

"Um, sure. How can I . . ." He placed his hands behind my knees and lifted me up. With one quick jump, he landed gracefully on the rooftop of the building, placing me down at his side. Below me to my right was the courtyard, now seen from a new view. To my left was the entire village, its veined streets empty and its buildings as haunting as gravestones. The wind was stronger up there, and I found my hands clinging to his shirt.

Gaara gently pulled me down with him to sit on his lap. His face was comforting and warm against the blue sky. I rested my head on the crook of his neck and felt the warmth his body offered. When had I grown so complacent with being here? I wasn't happy, I knew it. But at times, it felt like the kindness he and Temari showed in the last week was more sincere than that of my own father.

_Father_, yea right. Half of me wished never to see him again, but the other half wanted to question his knowledge of my birth. But what if he didn't know about me? What if, by asking him, I provided him with the knowledge he needed to disown me?

"Are you cold?" Gaara interrupted my thoughts. "You shivered. Do you want to go back?"

I smiled up at him and kissed his cheek, earning a small look of shock from him. "No, I'm fine. Can we just stay here for a while?" He nodded and turned his gaze back up to the sky.

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That morning, I woke up in my bed, in a surprisingly good mood. Gaara was gone, of course. I was up and dressed for breakfast by the time Kankuro knocked on my door.

"I see you're finally getting rid of your lazy habits," he gave his trademark Cheshire cat smile. He glanced over at Toboe wearily. "You dog, on the other hand, could use a good kick awake."

"You stay away from him," I pointed my finger in his face. "Let's get going."

Kakashi wasn't at breakfast, but Gaara was kinder to me than usual. I realized he was getting used to my presence at the table.

After the meal, I walked over to Kakashi's room to find him packing up.

"Going so soon?" I surveyed the pitifully small amount of belongings he had brought. He nodded and continued packing. I sat on his bed and watched him folding a few garments. He was humming lightly.

"Kakashi, I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

I fidgeted a bit. "Is there any way you could follow up on finding my heritage? The Inuzukas mentioned a wolf they could have brought that would help. Can you find a reason to bring him here?"

Kakashi sighed and stopped packing. He rubbed his temples and sat down next to me. "I've done all I can do, Seluni. We've already had this conversation."

"Then I have no choice but to find out for myself." That spiked his interest.

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I'll go to Konoha by myself. I'll find them, or anyone else who can help me."

His eyebrow rose. "You wouldn't even know where to look."

"Well, I'll try!" I stood up. "This is not an empty threat, Kakashi, if you can't help me then I'll leave. I don't need to be here. I got nothing out of the deal, so nothing is holding me back."

"Seluni . . ."

"And, if I leave, this marriage of convenience will be void and you've failed your mission." He hesitated. I had hit the right spot. _Yes_!

Kakashi groaned and rubbed his clothed chin. "You leave me no choice then. You're sure you want to know?"

"I am."

"Troublesome woman. Okay, I'll go back to Konoha and try to convince them to return. But it won't be easy finding a second excuse."

"I understand. But please try; I don't know how much longer I can bear to wait around here."

He studied my face. "Seluni, promise me you won't take any actions until you hear from me. And remember that, even if we find something out, you have to think of the Wind as your home now."

I nodded. "I promise. And thank you for helping me, Kakashi."

He smiled and walked me to the door. "I really don't have a choice, do I?"

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As I walked back to my room, I saw Gaara standing just outside my door.

"Where have you been?" his face was stern.

"Just saying goodbye to Kakashi," _More or less the truth_.

He watched me open my door. "You seem to be seeing quite a lot of him lately." As I walked inside, he followed, clearly ready for an explanation.

"I just like talking to someone who's as unfamiliar with the Wind as I am. That's all, Gaara." I didn't like having to explain myself to him. But I did feel guilty about being the cause of suspicion. Marriage was about the truth, wasn't it?

He stepped near me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Well, he's leaving for good now, and I have you all to myself." The growl in his voice scared me. I pushed him away and picked up Toboe, who was waiting expectantly at my feet. His tail wagged as he licked my face.

Giggling at the gesture, I held him out to Gaara. He looked at the wolf in disgust and then back to me. "Why do you keep that thing? I don't like dogs."

"He's not a dog, he's a wolf. And he'll be here as long as I am." I surprised myself with my defensiveness.

Gaara shook his head and lowered my hands to lean in and kiss me. "I'm not willing to share you, even with him. Come on, I want to show you something."

He took my hand and led me down the corridor and out of the building. As he took me through the streets of the village, I could feel every eye watching us. Was it so uncommon for the Kazekage to be out, or was it because I was with him?

Eventually we reached a wide empty opening between the outer wall and other buildings. Gaara walked into the center and turned to me.

"This is the training ring, where shinobi practice. Now, I know this is all foreign to you, but I want you to try a bit of fighting, for protection if nothing else."

"You want me to fight?"

"If you get put into a situation where I can't help you, I want to know you have some sort of strength to defend yourself."

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. "Gaara, I gave that up a long time ago. Even if I learnt to attack without chakra, I could never really put up a fight."

He stepped towards me, his face blank, but I could tell he was a second away from exploding. "Listen to me, Seluni, I'm not used to being disobeyed. I want you to learn to fight, so you will. Now enter the ring."

Did I have a choice? I approached him and he drew a kunai out from his robes. Tossing it to me, he said, "Now come at me with the intent to kill."

"Gaara . . ."

"Now."

I sighed and looked at the dagger in my hand. I hadn't held one in years, but it was comfortable to have power like that in my grasp. I gripped the handle and ran to Gaara with no real plan of attack. Jumping up, I tried to slice the weapon down at his shoulder. The kunai, as well as the rest of me, ran straight into an instant wall of sand.

I stepped back and rubbed my nose. "Gaara, how can I try to attack you if I can't even get near you?"

"Try again." I ran around to his side, aiming at his waist, and tossed the knife at him. Without him even turning to look at me, his sand blocked the knife and I jogged to a halt behind him.

"Again."

After several attempts, I plopped onto the ground to catch my breath. Gaara's harsh gaze remained on me as I fingered the knife.

"Your enemies will not give you a break like this. Get up."

I stood shakily. "This is pointless!" I yelled in frustration. "I'm never going to learn this, I never could!"

I looked at the ground and saw his feet appear before mine. "Is that what you've been taught," he asked, "to give up so easily, to accept your fate without question? I know better than anyone that it's possible to change yourself. You can earn your worth by never giving up. Are you ready?"

I gripped the kunai tightly and nodded.

"Again!"


	12. Chapter 12 Konoha

A/N: Okay, okay, I realize it's been at least a month since my last update. I'm sorry, I haven't any good excuses other than laziness. I love you all for reading and reviewing, and I hope to keep the updates coming more frequently!

I also didn't catch the discrepancy between the ages and the fact the Gaara still has Shukaku. Let's just pretend that Akatsuki didn't steal his demon, and that Sasuke decided not to leave, or maybe had already killed his bro. If you guys don't like that idea, let me know, I'd be glad to edit here and there. Love you all!

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"You're exhausted."

"I'm fine!" My legs were shaking and my breath came out in gasps.

"Look at you, you can't even walk." He extended a hand out to me.

"Of course I can. Watch me." I took a few slow steps forward and pain shot up my legs. I hissed in frustration and bent down. Strong hands reached under me and lifted me up, and I was lifted into the familiar arms and chest of my husband.

This was the fourth time this week I had to be carried home from the training ring by my husband. It's not that I was ungrateful for his help; I was just embarrassed by the little amount I had improved in my past few weeks in the Wind. Sure, I could wield a kunai and throw shuriken with decent aim, but I was far from being able to protect myself if I was attacked for real.

Finally, after weeks of anxious waiting, I received a letter from Kakashi.

_Seluni,_

_How is the marriage going? I hope things are running smoothly over there. As for here, in Konoha, the weather is perfect, and I think anyone could find what they're looking for here . . . _(More pointless chatting)_ . . . I've heard that Temari will be visiting Konoha again soon to review our exams, maybe this is your chance to travel the country! You'll know where to find me,_

_Kakashi._

I carefully folded the paper and hid it in one of my books. The letter seemed innocent enough. He obviously wanted me to meet him in the Fire, yet another country I had never been to.

"Hell, anything to get out of the Wind," I mumbled to myself, and I began searching for Temari to ask her about the trip, which I knew she was leaving for that day. As I turned to shut my door behind me, I could swear I saw movement outside my window. My head shot back into the room, but I saw nothing. I left feeling a bit more concerned about my privacy, and whether the letter was safely hidden.

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I found Temari in the training ring, practicing her attacks with her favorite weapon, that large white fan with purple dots. It was always amazing to watch her train; she didn't attack, but rather danced around the field of sand, with a rhythm and movements that kept in time with the blowing of the harsh breeze. She could turn so swiftly while adjusting the fan just a bit, so that her body lifted off the ground. I watched her for a minute before calling out to her. I already knew never to startle a ninja in training. At least, not within attack range. As I stepped into the training area I got that familiar dread that came before my practices with Gaara.

Temari was ecstatic with the idea of me going with her to the Fire Country. She raved about the beautiful plants and the cute boys and all the stores and the cute boys again. Thankfully, just as she began listing all the ninjas I should know, or whatever, Gaara interrupted our conversation. He had appeared out of nowhere, as I was getting used to. Apparently the rule to not sneak up on ninjas didn't apply to him.

"You're planning on going to the Leaf Village." It wasn't a question.

"How did you know?"

"We haven't finished your training yet."

I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like a child not allowed to go outside. "I'll have Temari with me, I'll be fine."

Temari smirked. "Aww, is Kazekage gonna miss his wife? I'll take care of her, little brother, don't worry!"

"That's not enough!" He threw her a look that killed both our spirits. "Kankuro is to go with you and you are to report to me daily until your return."

Temari looked hurt. "I- Gaara, I'm more than enough to protect her-"

"Obviously you are not, seeing as you put her life in danger the first week she was here." _Damn, that was low, _I thought miserably._ Why does he keep bringing that up?_

"Gaara, I trust in Temari's power completely. But, Temari, I'm as useful in battle as a wet towel. We'd better let Kankuro come along."

Gaara nodded, and turned to meet my gaze. I saw a glimpse of emotion in them, was it worry? That might explain his protectiveness. But as he nodded to me and disappeared without a word, a kiss, a hug goodbye, I realized he likely was just trying to protect his investment, the peace, that I represented.

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It was still early afternoon when we set off, the three of us silent as we passed through the outer gates of the Sand. I got the uncomfortable feeling that Kankuro wasn't happy about his last minute plans to travel. Either that, or he just wasn't looking forward to carrying me another long distance.

As we stopped outside the gates, I discretely pulled out a kunai from my robes so only he could see it. I leaned in to his ear and smiled sweetly, adding, "If you touch me any way I don't like, Kankuro, I might just slice your fingers off." He gulped noticeably and nodded. I laughed inwardly. I was finally getting used to the way things were done around here. If you wanted something, or in this case, _didn't_ want something, you had to use threats or force.

I hopped onto his back and felt a rush of wind in my face as the ninjas took off in their fantastic sprints. As the blur of vast desert transformed into dry grass, then soft brush, and finally the lush forest of the Fire Country, the long journey came to an end. The Leaf Village was only an hour or so from its border with the Wind, and so just as my legs were beginning to cramp in Kankuro's hold (I thankfully went through the trip unmolested), we were there. Our group stopped just outside a tall orange wall, with large gates to welcome us in. I was placed down rather roughly, and I got the impression that Kankuro was regretting his agreement to have carried me there.

Walking towards the vast gates, our small party was stopped by two Leaf ninjas, both with sloppy brown hair and excited faces.

"Welcome to the Leaf, Temari, Kankuro, and, who is this pretty thing?" Both men stared at me keenly, and my gaze dropped to my feet. What, weren't they used to new faces around here?

Temari spoke. "Izumo, Kotetsu, this is the new wife of the Kazekage. Show some respect."

Two pairs of eyes widened and they burst out in apology. I smirked a bit, feeling a bit too proud of myself, when we were greeted by another group of Leaf ninjas, coming up the street to meet us.

I got a good look at the group of four, one older man with silver hair and a mask, and three teens about my age. (A/N: do I _really_ have to describe them?)

The blonde boy ran ahead of the rest and stopped alarmingly close to us.

"Kankuro, Temari! It's so great to see you guys again! How's the Sand doing? How's the Kazekage? Is ev-" he glanced at me and threw me the biggest grin I'd ever seen. It was the type of smile that made you feel like smiling, too. "Yo. . . who're you? Are you from the Sand, too? Where's your hitae-ate? Why haven't I seen you here before? Are you friends with Temari? Wh-" He stopped abruptly as he caught a glimpse of his team, who finally reached us.

"Hey, Kakashi-Sensei, look who I found! Temari and Kankuro and, um, a girl!" The pink haired girl smacked him upside the head as soon as she was within hitting distance.

"Saaakura, what was that for?" he whined.

"Have some manners, teme, why can't you be more respectful around the Kazekage's family, like Sasuke?" She glanced shyly over at the black haired boy, who was looking off into the distance, hands in his pockets.

Their sensei stepped around them and bowed his head to me. "I apologize for their rudeness, Kazekage no Seluni." My breath hitched as all three teens' eyes, blue, green, and black, shot up to mine.

Temari thankfully saved me. "It's fine, Kakashi," she said sweetly, "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, it's great to see you all, too. As I mentioned, this is Gaara's new wife, Seluni."

"Dammit!" Naruto moaned, "Gaara got to be Kage first, and now he's married first too! I have to catch up with him!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Just don't go proposing to the next girl you see, Naruto. You're only twenty-one, that's way too early to get married." My face fell as I recalled how I had wanted to wait to marry, before all this began . . .

"Sakura, be quiet." The boy's voice was soft, but it pierced through Sakura's shouts and Naruto's whines. Sakura was humbled and there was an awkward moment of silence among us.

"Um, you can all go into the village," called a voice loudly from behind us. Izumo waved to us and it was suddenly obvious we were all still under the front gates of Konoha.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Kakashi spoke up lazily, "My team will escort you all to the Hokage's tower, where you will be staying. Temari, tell me about the Sand's exam progress while we walk."

Temari gave a grin to rival Naruto's and stepped quickly to meet Kakashi's pace. The rest of us followed behind, and Sakura looped her arm around mine.

"So tell me, Seluni," she purred, "What's it like being married to a demon? Were you afraid of him? Is he still mean?"

What a jerk, I thought, but I plastered a smile on and told her how he was kind enough and how his demon didn't come out unless he was upset or excited, which wasn't often.

"But what about-" she lowered her voice, "What is it like to uh, be with a demon? I mean, he must be excited while, you know."

I sighed loudly. The trip had made me grumpy and I was tired of this girl's bold questions.

"I don't sleep with the demon, Sakura, I sleep with _him_. And he can usually control it."

"And when he can't . . .?" she pried.

"Well," I pulled up the side of my shirt to reveal a long pink scar that began at my abs and ran around my side to my back. Sakura's bright green eyes grew wide and her mouth fell.

"Shit!" Naruto's voice came from right behind me. I whirled around. Both he and Sasuke had obviously been listening to our conversation from right behind us. Their faces matched Sakura's, but Sasuke's mouth formed a small smirk and Naruto's face held a bit of fear.

Kankuro had been lazily walking behind the group, but as he caught up he smiled at my flaunted scar. "Yea, I remember the morning after you got that one. Damn near scared us to death, how he carried you into the infirmary dripping blood and all. We thought he had killed you."

I shrugged. "He stopped when he realized what he did."

Naruto stepped closer and touched the scar lightly.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt," I said.

He continued looking at it, but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. "How can you let him do that to you? How can he live knowing he hurts you with his demon?"

I was about to answer when Kakashi called to us from up ahead. He and Temari were waving at up to hurry up.

"I don't mind too much," I assured Naruto, whose face didn't look right without that big smile. "What matters is that it's Gaara I'm married to, and it's Gaara I . . I love." I didn't care whether it was a lie or not- what mattered now was cheering this boy up. And his face did light up again, his wide grin making the day seem a bit brighter.

Sasuke waited next to me to start walking again. "Kazekage no Seluni . . ." he said softly, "Where were you from again?"


	13. Chapter 13 Distraction

"Kazekage no Seluni . . ." he said softly, "Where were you from again?"

My breath hitched. "The Wind, of course,"

"I know, I meant before that." His black eyes fixed on mine.

"The Hidden Cloud Village, Kumogakure." I felt my heart speed up as I tried to smile.

His voice lowered. "You must be from a prominent clan, to have married the Kazekage, especially so young. Was it an arranged marriage?"

"I was the daughter of the Raikage, and yes, it was made for political reasons. But I don't see why you're so interested." I knew I was being rude, but I was just nervous because someone was digging into my past, a very handsome someone.

"Ano, you just look like someone I . . . used to know." His gaze floated away and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Seluni," Naruto suddenly tapped me on my forehead, "Where's your hitae-ate? Do you have one? Aren't you a ninja?"

"No, I'm not. Being a ninja isn't everything, you know."

I could swear I heard Sasuke snort a laugh as we watched Naruto's face drop, mortified. What did I say wrong?

Sakura laughed. "Don't mind him. Naruto's under the impression that he'll be Hokage one day, so being a ninja is basically everything to him."

"That's not true, Sakura! I think lo-ove is important, too!" He made a cute lovey-dovey face to her, seconds before she swung her fist lightly into his head, which he didn't bother to block, I noticed. But I was mentally telling myself I would have to ask Sasuke who he was referring to before. If it was a clue to my past, any little detail might be important . . .

Within a few minutes, Naruto begun talking himself into a good mood again and was chatting my ear off with stories about Konoha and its ninjas. I thought I might as well try to get some useful information, as long as he was going to talk anyway.

"Naruto," I interrupted him droning on about ramen stores, "I heard that Konoha has different clans here. Is that true?" He nodded vigorously, happy that he was being useful. "Hai, there are a lot of clans in the Fire Country," he counted a few off his fingers, "There's Hyuga, Inuzuka, Nara, Aburame, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Kurama, and, uh, that's all I can think of for now."

"You forgot my clan, Naruto." Sasuke's voice was hardly more than a whisper. Naruto's smile flickered for only a second. "Ah, yea, the Uchiha Clan, w- ah, _is_ the strongest clan in the Fire Country. But either way, I can kick Sasuke's sorry ass any day!" (AN: Nice save Naruto!!)

"Um, yeah, I met the Inuzukas in the Sand a few weeks ago. Kiba and Hana, I think. You know them?" He nodded.

"Kiba went to the Ninja Academy with us," Sakura explained, "But why were they there?"

_BOOM_. A loud explosion from across the village made me jump in surprise. The ground shook from the blast and before I could register what had happened, six blurs of ninjas shot away towards the sound, and I was left alone in the street. I stood uneasily for a second before deciding to follow them, not that I could be of much help. Taking off into a run, I could easily make my way through Konoha, aiming for the brown cloud of smoke that rose up menacingly from the spot.

But before I could reach the site of the smoke, I tripped and hit the ground, getting the wind knocked out of me. I tried to get up, but my feet wouldn't move.

I turned onto my side to see that my feet were tangled in an odd white web. I touched it lightly and my finger stuck to it. _What the hell is this?_

As I struggled to free myself from this little net, I only succeeded in entangling my feet and hand further. Suddenly, _pop!_ A small white spider appeared out of nowhere and crawled towards me.

Spiders had always creeped me out, and this one was especially gross. It looked like it had no eyes and it had a small _Seiryū_ (the Azure Dragon constellation) kanji on it. It crept closer and I squirmed away. I even tried to swat at it, but the thing jumped onto my hand and scuttled onto my shoulder towards my neck.

About to hyperventilate, I shook my head around to throw it off, but a sharp sting on my throat told me I had been bitten. Immediately, I felt drowsy, almost drunken, and my body dropped to the ground.

I felt a shadow on me as something blocked out the sun. Gusts of wind from above blew my clothes and hair. With my last ounce of energy, I threw my head upright to see up. A dark shape silhouetted against the sun was growing larger above me, and I thought I heard voices from far away as I drifted off into unconsciousness.

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I was back in my bedroom in the Wind, cuddled under the covers and watching the orange flames dance in the fireplace. The bright glow was mesmerizing, seeming to take shape and just as I was about to recognize it, the flames changed again.

Movement near the window – the familiar form of Gaara stepped down from the windowsill, cloak blowing in the wind. Putting down his gourd, he walked over to me in the dark and stood next to the bed. I leaned over to wrap my arm around his legs, silently inviting him in.

He bent down to kiss my forehead, his hand stroking my cheek.

"I missed you today," I murmured, and his lips moved to mine. My eyes closed as I felt his soft kiss, the kind that ensured me he was in control of himself tonight, which meant I would not be unsatisfied. Heat rushed through me in anticipation. Gaara stood up again just as the fire swelled, lighting up his face. But it wasn't his face, those black eyes weren't his, that dark hair wasn't either.

"Don't look so upset, I missed you, too,"

It was Sasuke, I realized with a shock, and I backed away quickly, until I reached the end of the bed and I fell –

I woke up in a cold sweat, in a dark room, face to face with my attacker. He was swinging a key around his fingers, a key maybe to the chains that bound me to the wall.

"You sure slept awhile, yeah," he commented.

Painfully short, I know!!

I wanted to get this one out sooner - but the next will be longer, I promise. Please review, all my lovely readers!!


	14. Chapter 14 False Hope

The room was dark and prison-like, lit by a small ceiling lamp and no windows. The man in front of me was tall and dressed in a black robe, with blonde hair that covered half his face. His wide grin was slightly sadistic and he chuckled at my shocked expression.

Immediately, my body tried to pose a fighting stance, as when I practiced with Gaara back home. But my arms were bound above me, and my feet were chained to the floor. I could only move a few inches before I was pulled back by the chains against a cold wall.

Now the man laughed again, throwing his head back a bit so I could see the left side of his face. Where his eye should be, there appeared to be a mechanical device, some sort of camera. He held the key out to tap my forehead. "You're not going anywhere, girl, I've made sure of that, yeah. It took us long enough to catch you, so you stay. Got it?"

_Us_? "Who are you? What's going on?"

"We have no medic with us currently, so I've gotta make sure you're not injured."

I paused to stare incredulously at this man. What, did he care about my health after kidnapping me?

"I- I'm not hurt." I didn't see the point in lying.

"Wonderful." His plastered grin was starting to bother me. The man didn't say another word, but tucked the key inside his robes and turned to leave.

"Wait!" I called, "Where am I? Who are you?"

He continued walking and grabbed the door handle, pulling the wooden door behind him.

"Hey, I have I right to know where I am!"

He stopped in the doorway and looked back. "Just think of this cell as your new home. You're deep down one of the lairs of the Akatsuki, and you can plan on a long stay. Just make yourself comfortable, yeah." He laughed and slammed the door behind him, leaving the room silent and me alone to think in my chains in the dim light.

_Wait. What the hell is Akatsuki?_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hours later, I had not thought of a single thing to do to help my situation. My weapons had all been removed, not that I could reach them anyway. I almost anticipated someone, anyone, coming to fill me in on what was happening. I knew I had been kidnapped by more than one person, most likely some organized group called Akatsuki. I didn't know what they wanted, but at least they seemed to want me alive and healthy, so _that_ couldn't be a bad thing. Right?

I heard voices from beyond the door that seemed to come closer. It sounded like two men.

"So why do we have to keep her alive?" A younger voice asked.

I heard a sigh from the man from earlier. "I've told you that, Tobi, if he thinks she's dead there's a chance he may not come. And that would mean what?"

"That we failed in capturing your Jinchuuri," he replied happily, "You know, Deidara, it's really too bad that you couldn't capture yours as easily as I did – ow!"

"_I__helped_ you catch the Sanbi, baka, so don't get cocky about it," he snapped.

The door was pushed open and two figures entered the room. One was Deidara, the man from before, and the other . . . something was wrong with his face. I couldn't really see in the dim light.

"Ah, she's cute, Deidara! I see why you didn't kill her!"

Deidara smacked him on the head. "Don't think like that, Tobi, you said you wanted to see her, so here she is, yeah." Apparently the blonde was in a worse mood when around this younger guy Tobi.

Tobi stepped near me, and in the light I could see he wore an odd orange mask with only one eye hole. Was he disfigured underneath it?

He inspected my face, and I made sure to glare back defiantly, hoping my fear didn't show through. After a minute, I looked back at Deidara in frustration.

"_What do you want with me_?" I shouted.

He grinned and shook his head. "There's no point in telling you, sweetie. Oh yeah, here's your dinner." He tossed a brown bag at my feet, and I stared at it helplessly. How could I be hungry at a time like this?

"Hey Deidara, let me play with her!"

"Get the hell away from me!" I freaked out. Who knows what these men were capable of? And I had a bit of experience in this sort of thing; Apparently Yura wasn't the only perverted criminal out there.

Both men laughed. "You're in no position to argue," Deidara said, "Tobi, you know Leader warns again that sort of thing, yeah. C'mon."

"Okay, Boss, but she's awfully cute to go to waste- Ow!" another smack from Deidara.

They turned to leave, and I was suddenly frantic to get more information. "Wait! Why do you have me here?" They ignored me.

Idea. "How can I eat with my arms tied?" Deidara halted and looked thoughtful.

"Well," he walked over to me and pulled the key out of his pocket. I held my breath, waiting for him to release me so I could attack. He reached above me and slowly clicked the key through one lock, freeing my arms. Stabs of pain flooded through them from being in one position too long, and before I regained control of them Deidara had backed away.

_So much for that amazing plan. What did I expect to do anyway, punch him to death? Maybe I could pull his hair before he decided to kill me. _

I rolled my shoulders and moaned in pain as the cramps in my arms loosened.

Tobi laughed and I shot him a glare before rubbing my wrists, where the cuffs had left bruises.

"Let's go, yeah. We gotta finish setting the traps."

"Fine, fine!" They shut the door behind them, and I could hear their conversation as they walked away.

"Hey Boss, after we capture your demon, can I play with her then? I promise I won't spoil her – please please?"

"Fine, Tobi. You can do what you like with her _after_ the demon is withdrawn and the host is dead. But if Leader wants her dead, I don't want to hear any complaints . . ." They left earshot and I shivered. I had to escape, before that Tobi person returned. But what was that demon business? They were withdrawing a demon from a host they would kill. . . they wanted me alive until he . . . _Oh, shit_. Gaara. They wanted Gaara and they took me as bait.

I fell to my knees with a sharp thud. What could I do? I couldn't let them get him. If he got hurt because of me . . . My eyes filled with tears as I imagined what would happen if they took Gaara from me. I needed him there; I thought he would always be around to protect me and love me.

"No . . ." I whispered to myself, dropping my head in my hands. The tears ran down unyielding as I realized how helpless I really was. What a waste of time it was to marry me. If not for me, Gaara would not be threatened like this. He didn't deserve this, didn't deserve someone as helpless as I was. All that training gone to waste . . .

x

_A memory flashed into my mind. It was a sunny afternoon in the Wind, and Temari and I were sitting outside after a spar. Well, a spar which included her going incredibly easy on me as I tried to wield my kunai without nicking myself in the process._

_I had sat down, exhausted yet exhilarated from the fight. Temari stood near me, seeming to be off in thought. _

"_Seluni," she said, "I want to talk with you about that Drift incident." I nodded, watching her face as she looked at the sky. We hadn't brought the topic up since it happened. _

"_I do remember most of it, but something has been bothering me. When I was being tortured by Yura . . . Something happened and I'm not sure what to think of it. Maybe I just imagined it."_

_I remained silent, thinking I knew where this was going._

"_There was a moment when I could swear your eyes lit up red. Your face changed, and it freaked him out." She looked back down at me. "Do you remember that? What happened then?"_

_It was my turn to look at the sky now, examining the clouds as I remembered Kakashi's words: 'If anyone found out, you and I are likely to be killed'. _

"_I have no idea." I turned to my sister-in-law, my friend, and lied, "I don't remember that at all. You were probably just imagining it, which is understandable considering the situation." _I'm sorry, Temari_, I thought. I didn't want to lie to her, but I had to. For mine and Kakashi's sake. _

x

I snapped back to reality. What had brought up that memory? I knew something had happened, I remembered how I saw everything differently for a few moments. I may have even seen their chakras before Yura hurt Temari until I stopped.

But what would have happened if it didn't stop? My eyes had glowed red, my face had changed, but why? My head hurt trying to figure it all out.

I rolled off my knees and looked at the chains on my ankles. They were cuffed and connected by one simple lock. _These chains would never hold a real ninja captive._ I'm not a ninja. _So what do I do?_

I passed the time by picking at the measly scraps of food given to me, and fidgeting periodically, as if the chains would somehow loosen. I don't know how long I was down there. Another few hours, at least, before I began to doze off. I was woken by a loud BOOM from above me, like thunder. There were shouts from a few different people, and many more explosive noises.

Was he here? Would he make it? I stood up and waited anxiously until the noise ceased. The fight, if that's what it was, only took about ten minutes.

I heard someone running down the hallway towards my door. No, it wasn't a person, was it - ?

A bang on the door, and a scratching noise. The doorknob turned and in jumped Toboe, barking to me and licking my face ferociously.

I pulled him off and realized he was wet with dark blood. My hands and clothes were now coated in it. Immediately I checked him for cuts, and finding none, I became more worried.

I buried my face in his soft fur, my tears mixing with the red stains. "Whose blood is this, Toboe?" I cried, "Is Gaara here? Is it his blood?"

The pup pulled away and licked my face, catching the tears. I felt like he had answered yes, and was trying to console me.

"No, he can't die . . ." Toboe trotted to the door and picked up something he had dropped on the threshold. He dropped it into my lap, and looking at it, I began sobbing. It was a Sand hitae-ate, splattered in blood. The pup looked watched me as I cried, knowing that it was Gaara's forehead protector, and knowing he must have been killed.

"Toboe, please," I clung to his fur, "I don't know if you can understand me, but please help me get out. I have to see him; I have to make sure he's alive . . ." He barked and ran off, leaving me alone again to cry.

Not five minutes later he returned, proudly carrying something else in his jaws. It wasn't a key, but a senbon, and he dropped it at my feet.

Still sniffling, I hugged the wolf pup and picked up the needle. Not really knowing what I was doing, I stuck it in the lock and fiddled with it, until it clicked open.

I stood up and let the blood rush back into my feet. Still feeling the aches in my legs, I picked up Gaara's hitae-ate and took off out of the room into a dark stone hallway, lit only by more ceiling lamps every few yards. Toboe barked and ran ahead of me, leading me down several turns and up a set of stairs until we reached a large chamber, the air thick with risen dust. I stopped at the threshold and looked around.

The room was windowless and carved in stone – just how far down were we? – And at several locations the walls seemed to have broken off and lay in large piles of boulders. That must have been the thunder-like noise I heard earlier.

I ran down across the floor, until I spotted two figures standing amid the rubble. They both turned to me in shock.

"How the hell did you get out?!" Deidara roared. I could see he was sweaty and exhausted, and his hair was a mess. His right eye was furious, and his camera for an eye was exposed.

Tobi laughed through his mask, but I could tell he was panting. "Look, there's that mutt. I told you we should have chased it. But no, you said don't bother with his pet."

Toboe had stopped beside me, giving me courage. I gripped

"Where is he? What have you done with Gaara?"

Tobi looked over at Deidara, who reached down in the rubble at his feet. He pulled up something heavy, and tossed it down so I could see.

I gasped, covering my mouth and the tears swelled up again. It was Gaara. Gaara's body. His calm, expressionless face was splashed in blood, and I could clearly see cuts beneath his torn clothes.

I couldn't see him breathing and I felt nauseous, falling to my hands and knees. Gaara, my husband, my love, who protected me and taught me and believed I was worthwhile . . . was dead.

"Are you upset at losing that demon, girl?" Tobi prodded, "It was my idea, you know, to send that letter to get you here. Luckily enough, you were gullible enough to fall for it."

"The- the letter? That was you?"

"We know all about your little secret, yeah," Deidara smirked, "But there's not much reason to keep it a secret now, is there?" He kicked Gaara's side, sending his body forward a few feet.

Both men laughed as I shook in agony. _Laugh? How dare they! These men took me as bait! They took Gaara away from me! He must have come here to save me and they – they - _

I felt the anger bubbling furiously inside me as I stared at the ground, not even seeing straight in my fury. The pain of his loss swept over me. I would _kill_ them for what they did. Both of them deserve to die. Gaara didn't, and I would avenge him, if it cost me my life.

I looked up at the two men before me, and I saw their figures laced in that bluish purple glow. It's happened again. I could see their chakra building, see their hearts beating faster, see their eyes wide and their mouths open as they witnessed whatever was happening to me. I felt an immediate reaction to stop the power rising, but I pushed that aside and I let it take control. I lost the part of me that held back. I knew I could kill. And the time was now.

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No... only a few more chapters to go. Im so happy i could get this one out sooner than i thought!

I hope you liked it - read and review as always, i really love reading your comments and ideas!

Love from Hoffnung Fliegt!


	15. Chapter 15 Initial Shock

With my new vision, I watched in awe as both men radiated in a beautiful fluorescent glow. I even felt new chakra pumping through my own veins, fueled by my anger. Was this what Kakashi saw when he looked at me through his Sharingan?

My heart beat noisily in my ears, and ignoring it, I realized I could clearly hear the three other pounding hearts in the room. They smelt of death, blood, and fear.

Deidara scowled down at me, his eyes a mix of confusion and hate. The criminal gawked at me as recognition flickered into his face.

"Uchiha . . ." the blonde murmured. Tobi looked over to his superior, silently awaiting an order behind his orange mask.

"Boss . . . this could get ugly. You don't have a good history with those eyes."

"Nonsense, baka!" Deidara hissed back, "This girl is not even a threat, yeah. Uchiha or not, Sharingan or not, she's nothing like Itachi, and therefore as easily disposable as that demon!"

"Stop calling him a demon!" I roared, "I'll never forgive you for what you did to Gaara! I'll kill you both for this!"

"Go ahead and try, girl!" he scoffed, throwing back his robes to reach into his pockets.

. Taking off into a sprint, I rushed at Deidara, pulling out a kunai in each hand.

I saw him open his palms, exposing four small chakra-laden birds in each hand, throwing them up in the air. Did he know I could see his every move in slow motion? It was effortless to predict his movements and realize that he would use the birds to prevent me from reaching him, a long-range fighter.

I easily darted around and out of the way of the birds as they dived at me one by one. He detonated each as they neared me, the explosions barely scorching my skin as I rushed past.

I was only a few yards away from the blonde when a figure jumped up from underground right before my feet. I leapt away just in time to miss several quick kunai swipes from Tobi. He followed my retreat, stepping forward as I stepped back, swiping at me so quickly I hardly had time to react. Finally a sharp pain in my leg screamed that I had been stabbed. I inhaled deeply to hold back a scream as Tobi deftly twisted the knife in deeper. We stood face to face, his black eye hole staring emotionlessly into mine.

There was a loud growl as a gray blur passed before my eyes, throwing itself onto the criminal. Toboe took a huge bite of Tobi's arm, latching onto him as the man shouted in pain. Blood seeped down to the ground and I could swear I heard the cracking of bones. Tobi shook his arm wildly, trying to throw the wolf off, but he held on tight.

Deidara cursed and shouted to Tobi to hurry up and get rid of the mutt. I grasped the kunai in my leg and gritting my teeth, I pulled it out with a hiss of pain. I didn't even bother to look at the wound – I knew I was alive, and with Tobi distracted, I could more easily get to Deidara. Tobi had called him "boss", therefore, Gaara's death was mostly the grinning blonde's fault.

But how could I get to him? I couldn't run now because of my leg, so quick attacks were out of the question.

I closed my eyes to concentrate, and saw a flash of crimson among swirls of black. A strange sensation hit me. My eyes. They were the key to everything, weren't they? I suddenly realized what power was held in them. I understood the secret of how to use these eyes, as if it was simply instinct. My eyes had the power to control, the power to kill the body through killing the mind. I knew how to use them!

I blocked out the noise of Tobi's shouts, blocked out the pain throbbing through my injured leg. Opening my eyes slowly, my steady gaze met Deidara's cold eyes, and I effortlessly captured his mind into a dream, which seemed to take its own course once it had begun.

xxx

The blonde missing-nin looked around wearily at the dreary landscape I had provided him. The sky was red and swirling with black clouds, and a tall dark forest loomed ahead of him.

He cursed under his breath. "I thought I had trained myself not to fall for these tricks." An image of myself appeared before him, staring angrily into his defiant eyes.

"You killed him," I heard myself say, "And I'm sure you've killed others. You deserve to die, and now I can carry out that punishment."

Sudden fear flickered into his face before he composed himself again.

"You don't even know what you're doing," he scoffed. "Compared to Uchiha Itachi, your Sharingan is a joke. A waste of art, yeah. I don't fear you, girl!" He yelled that last bit, yet I could see it in his face that he was panicked.

I felt the genjutsu begin to adjust itself, changing the storyline. A twig snapped in the forest behind me. I stood solemnly watching Deidara's face as he stepped back, reaching into his pockets only to realize there was no clay.

"You are defenseless here," I said, and caught his terrified gaze. Soft footsteps neared and a dozen dark forms emerged from the woods. I didn't have to look to know what they were, because the depths of my mind had formed them. Twelve black wolves, as large as horses, padded up to my side. Their fangs were bared and their fur was streaked in maroon under the red sky. The nearest one looked to me obediently, showing off a devilish toothy grin.

"Goodbye, Deidara," I whispered. Twelve masses of black shot toward the man. He tried to run, only taking a few steps before the beasts attacked. That was when he began screaming and pleading. I turned away, trying to shut it out.

Just because he deserved to die didn't mean I had to enjoy it.

As my mind slipped back into my body, I heard Toboe barking, then a whimper, then a thud. _No_, I thought, _Toboe must have been hit._

Xxx

Sudden pain. I was standing back in the cave, the dim light letting me distinguish the blurry orange mask inches from my face. I slowly looked down at the knife lodged in my stomach.

He snickered. "Hey boss, I –" Tobi looked back to see Deidara's body fall to the ground. "Noooo! Boss!" He turned to run over there, pulling out the deeply imbedded kunai as he left. Gasping in pain and clutching my bleeding stomach, I slid to my knees, finally falling down on my side.

A familiar nose poked its way under my elbow. Toboe lay down next to me, whining softly. I could smell the fresh cuts on his fur, mingling with the scent of my own blood.

I didn't know if I succeeded in killing Deidara. But did it really matter? The body of my husband lay just yards away from me, but I couldn't even muster up the strength to crawl to him.

Hot tears stung my eyes as I realized I couldn't even see his face one more time. _He didn't deserve this . . ._

"Deidara, noo! You were a good boss, why'd you have to die?"

_Ah, so I had killed him._ _Well, Gaara, you died, and I'll die soon, but at least I took your murderer down with me._

The thumping of footsteps told me Tobi was racing towards me. _Here it comes_, I thought grimly. I just hoped he wouldn't kill Toboe as well.

BOOM. An explosion shook the cave as bright light flooded in. A small avalanche fell from one of the walls, deafeningly loud. Through my tear-blurred vision, I saw brilliant rays of sunlight that filled the room, and stepping up onto the pile of rocks, were ten figures of glistening blue chakra.

There was a moment of silence where I assumed Tobi was weighing the outcome if a battle was to ensue. He cautiously stepped into my line of sight.

"I'll get you some other time, remember that," he said before whirling into the ground.

More footsteps and distant shouts.

I was lifted up into someone's arms, and carried outside into the sun. "No, wait," I mumbled, trying to wiggle out of the grip.

"What is it?" a familiar man's voice answered, continuing to carry me away. _No, I had to stay with Gaara!_

"Stop, Gaara is in there!" My voice was hoarse as I tried not to sob. The man leapt into a swift run, and the wind rushed in my ears.

"Yes, we know, Seluni, we've brought him and your wolf along. We have to get away from the Akatsuki lair, in case they return." Whose voice was that? My thought process had slowed down due to the pain and my exhaustion.

After some time the man slowed to a stop and gently lowered me to the ground. More footfalls told me that the others had stopped as well.

"Alright, place him here. No, leave him on his back. Sakura, you know the regulation. The fatally wounded least likely to die is treated first."

"I know, Kakashi, I'll get started now," a female voice said. _Kakashi, so that's who it was!_ The Konoha ninja had rescued us. Well, rescued me. I forced myself not to look at Gaara.

A shadow fell over me as Sakura, laced in bright chakra, knelt down next to me. I remembered her face, now scrunched in concentration as she placed her hands over my stomach. I felt a strange heat fill the area, and then numbness washed over me. My mind was peaceful as I experienced the strange sensation of having my internal organs healed through chakra.

After a few minutes the numbness began to fade away as Sakura finished up on my leg. _So she saved me_, I thought groggily, _But that's only because they went to help Gaara. I was simply the least fatally wounded –_ WAIT!

I sat up suddenly, the blood rushing to my head. Ignoring Sakura's yelp of surprise, I spotted Gaara's body a few yards away. Sure enough, there was a very faint glow of slowly swirling chakra in him.

_Impossible_, I thought, _could he be . . . alive_?

Sakura tried to push me back down. "What are you doing?!" I shouted, "Heal Gaara! He needs help, I'm fine!" She nodded and rushed over to his side.

I crawled next to her, not taking my eyes off his face. I held my breath as Sakura's green healing chakra pumped into his body, aiding his dying heart and forcing life back into his body.

He woke up with a deep gasp.

"Yes!" Sakura shouted, continuing the healing process. I, on the other hand, burst into fresh tears and threw my arms around his neck.

"Oh, Gaara, Gaara, you're alive!"

"Thank you," I said softly to Sakura, running my hands through his hair, "Thank you so much,"

I leaned back to look at his face. His eyes flickered, then opened, squinting in the sunlight. They locked onto mine and confusion clouded his gaze.

"S- Seluni?" Just hearing his low voice again was a miracle. I looked down into those beautiful aqua green eyes and that clear placid face.

"Gaara, you came to rescue me," I murmured.

"You look so different."

"I don't know what happened back there. But I- I thought you were dead."

He lifted one hand to stroke my cheek. "I finally found you. I was so afraid for you . . ." his hand reached around to my neck and he pulled me in, kissing me deeply.

"Whew, let's keep this G – rated, you two." Sakura snickered, still out of breath from the healing process.

Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. "Excellent work, Sakura, you saved the life of the Kazekage _and_ his wife. Ano, Seluni, please stand up."

I squeezed Gaara's weak hand and stood to face our rescuers. There was Temari, silently crying, and Kankuro with his arm around her. Aside from them and Kakashi, I didn't know the other four ninja there, but the lot of them were now staring at me in awe.

"What is this . . ." said one boy with white eyes. A man in a green jumpsuit jumped in front of me, placing his face inches from mine. I slowly leaned away, freaked out from his close proximity.

"Um . . ." I began, when he shouted, "KAKASHI-MY-RIVAL!! This girl indeed has the _Sharingan_! What does this mean?!"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Well, Gui, I thought it was kinda obvious."

"HA-HA-HA! I was just testing you!! This girl is obviously a member of the UCHIHA CLAN!" I winced at his loud voice.

"Okay," said the boy with white eyes, "Then why does she have markings like Kiba's?" I inadvertently touched my face. _Where's a mirror when you need one?_

Approaching footsteps indicated the arrival of two more people. Leaping down from the trees appeared a flash of orange and blue; Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto yelped when he saw us, running straight to Gaara, who was sitting up now. As he jabbed on about his amazing feats while saving him, Sasuke approached Kakashi.

"The area is clear," he said, "We ran a five mile perimeter, which gives us about twenty minutes of rest." He paused as he realized that no one was really paying attention; he wasn't used to that. Following everyone's eyes to me, he looked as if he hadn't realized I was there.

There was a stretched moment of silence where we stared at each other, and I watched his face change from shock, to confusion, to anger. His hands fisted and he took a step forward.

"Who are you? Why do you have the Sharingan?!" He closed in on me as he spoke, until I was backed up against a tree. I just stared into his furious red eyes. How could I explain what I didn't understand?

"Answer me!" he shouted, grabbing my arm. I winced and tried to struggle away.

"Sasuke . . ." began Naruto cautiously. The black haired boy whipped his head around to his companion.

"You stay the hell out of this," he spat, "If she's an Uchiha than she has explaining to do!" He turned back to me with his fiery glare. I looked pitifully over to the others, but it seemed like none of them were about to interfere.

Kakashi finally stepped towards us, putting his hands up gingerly. "Calm down, Sasuke. Seluni doesn't know anything about her past. I'm sure she's as surprised as you are that she has the Sharingan. Believe me, we would have told you immediately had any of us known."

Sasuke looked at the ground, and then released his arm. I breathed a sigh of relief. His fist suddenly collided with the tree next to my head.

"That's not good enough!" He shouted. "Tell me who you are!"

"Get away from her," Gaara appeared at my side. He glared evilly at Sasuke, but I could feel him leaning his weight onto me. _He must still be weak. Sakura hasn't finished healing him then._

"Seluni will answer your questions when she sees fit." He was shaking slightly, so I took his hand to help support him. Feeling his skin on mine once more gave me the strength to support him. I looked to his face, seeing beads of sweat form on his brow. His chakra had strengthened only just enough to keep his alive. How far was he pushing his body to defend me?

Sasuke stared back defiantly at Gaara, his glowing red eyes testing Gaara's strength. With his Sharingan, he must have seen how weak the Kazekage was now. Sasuke looked angry enough to attack him.

Everyone held their breath as we watched the two best scowlers in the world facing off. I gripped Gaara's hand, hoping to give him some confidence. Who would crack first under the pressure?

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N – I know I'm a horrible person to keep giving out cliffhangers. Don't hate me!

Grapefruit.ninja – I can't tell you yet what her bloodline is, but it's not one that naturally appears in the manga. I hope that's a hint!

10Join-Fei – The only reason I can give you for Tobi rather than Sasori is that Tobi is such a cute character – more fun to write! I figured Sasori could have been killed before this all happens (too many loopholes in the story, I know!)

Thank you all so so much for your reviews! I absolutely love them! Feel free to ask questions/make suggestions!


	16. Chapter 16 Recovery

The sun was beginning to set, threatening of the oncoming dusk. Our forest was silent but for a few late birds singing from far off. The two men stared each other down menacingly, holding the weary attention of everyone.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispered, "Neither of them is fully healed yet, and we're running out of time before any more Akatsuki show up." He ignored her, his fists clenching.

"Sasuke, back down," Kakashi interrupted firmly, stepping towards the two men, "You _will_ _not_ start a fight with the Kazekage. That's an order."

The black-haired boy finally nodded, tearing his eyes away from Gaara's to glance into mine. A shiver went down my spine. "Yes, Sensei," Sasuke muttered darkly, and leapt up and away into the trees. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, even the Sand-nin.

Temari rushed over to hug both of us at the same time, tears still staining her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're okay! Seluni, we were all so worried when you disappeared. And Gaara, you should have waited for us to look for her!"

Kankuro gently pulled her away. "C'mon, let's go. Hey, thanks for not dying, you two."

I forced a smile and clung onto Gaara, digging my face in his shoulder. I was still so unbelievably happy he was alright.

He put his arm around me. "Stop crying, Seluni, it's all over." I pulled away and looked at his face, but he was watching the spot where Sasuke disappeared. I realized I wanted nothing more than to be back home with him, always feeling as safe as I did when he was around.

"Hey Sakura, have you finished healing the wolf?" Kakashi asked.

I looked over, having forgotten about Toboe. The pink haired girl was kneeling over him, her hands and body glowing green, fueling Toboe with more chakra. After a minute she replied, "It's tricky to heal animals, but he's going to live. Let's get everyone to the hospital as soon as possible." Kakashi nodded.

"I believe the Inuzukas are the people to see about healing dogs," said the white-eyed boy. I had completely forgotten about the other team of ninjas, who had been standing aside to silently watch the ordeal. Maybe they figured it wasn't their mess to get into.

A boy in green, almost identical to their leader, nodded. "Let's get moving, everyone!! Konoha is only a few hours away, so we should try to get there in half an hour!!" With that he picked up Toboe tentatively and swiftly bounded into the trees.

"Will he be careful with Toboe?" I asked Guy. He laughed and gave me a corny thumbs-up. "He has the power of youth to help him!! Your pet is in good hands! Team Guy, WE"RE OFF!!" The remaining three ninja leapt away, leaving the rest of us in stunned silence.

"They have _way_ too much energy," mumbled Kankuro.

Kakashi shook his head. "It's best to ignore it. Anyway, Kazekage, are you healed enough to run?"

Gaara nodded.

"Okay, Naruto, you can carry Seluni on your back. We have to make good time back to the Leaf," he explained to me.

The blonde boy stepped forward but Gaara pulled me closer with a threatening glare. "I'll carry her," he said stubbornly.

"You have the energy for that?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his bloodied clothes and face. Gaara nodded again and pointed to the ground at the edge of the clearing, where thousands of sparkles of chakra were gathering towards him. Well, I saw them as sparkles.

"Your sand," said Temari.

"I've been collecting it since your medic healed me. I can use it now to strengthen my own chakra." As he spoke, the sand swirled up to him and formed his large gourd on his back. I watched as the sand's chakra drained into Gaara's body.

"Alright then," said Kakashi, "Since Sasuke left without command, Kankuro and Naruto, you follow last. Our priority is protecting the Kazekage and wife. We're all headed to the hospital."

I heard Temari mumble something about chauvinist men, then I was scooped up bridal style by Gaara.

"Aw, how cute!" gushed Sakura. I looked up to Gaara with a smile but he wasn't looking at me. _Okay, then._

"Team 7, Sand-nin, back to Konoha." Kakashi leapt into the trees, and with a rush of wind in my face, Gaara followed.

Xxxxxxxxxx

After a few hours of running, we reached the large front gates of Konoha. As Gaara set me down, breathing a bit heavily, I noticed there were far more ninja stationed there than before.

Team Guy was already there waiting for us, as well as Hana and Kiba Inuzuka, and about five other ninjas in vests I hadn't met.

Kakashi led us to the gate to speak with the guards there, but my mind was focused on the fact that Gaara's hand still clung to mine. I wasn't used to this blatant display of affection. And when had such a simple gesture like holding my hand come to mean so much to me?

I peeked a glance at his face, which was stern and expressionless as always. That face really could make grown men run away in fear, yet this was the only face I could ever take comfort in. Now, however, I got the distinct feeling he was lost in his thoughts. He hadn't even looked at me since the forest.

I tugged his hand. "Hey, can we talk to the Inuzukas?"

I motioned to over to the dog-loving ninjas, leaning against the village wall. Gaara nodded, still staring ahead of him. Kiba waved to us and walked over, Akamaru close in tow. Hana with her three wolfish dogs stayed put, her eyes fixated on Kakashi as he briefed several guards on the mission.

"We were wondering what happened to Sasuke," said one. "He passed us in such a huff we didn't dare ask him what went on."

I couldn't make out Kakashi's answer, but it seemed to satisfy the others without them making a fuss. I was soon greeted by Kiba's big smile.

He bowed before the Kazekage respectfully. "Good to see you two are safe. But I have to ask, what did you let happen to Toboe? He won't even tell me what happened," his eyes showed real concern.

I had forgotten that these people could "understand" the dogs. "Um, I wasn't really able to watch, but Toboe saved my life by attacking an Akatsuki member."

His eyes grew large. "Woah. He's lucky to be in the shape he's in. Hey," he leaned in closer, "Watch what you let your wolf do in battle. He's untrained and could easily get hurt. But the worst part about having a pet in a fight is that they would easily die for you." He reached to pat his huge dog on the head. "Don't let it get to that point."

I nodded solemnly. I hadn't realized what Toboe risked to help me back in the Akatsuki lair. But, I was sure he was safe with these people, whose main concern seemed to be dogs.

Kiba bit his lip. "One more thing," he scratched the back of his own head, "I'm assuming you know by now that you are somehow an Inuzuka, which is why Hana and I smelt you as a wolf. Our own people smell like dogs, but it never occurred to us that you could be Inuzuka. You had no markings then, you know." He pointed to his own cheeks, where twin red fangs marked his skin.

_Is that what's on my face? That plus my new eyes, no wonder Gaara didn't recognize me at first._ I glanced at my husband, whose eyes were on his siblings. _But why won't he even look at me? Does he blame me for being kidnapped?_

Kakashi called to us, where all our rescuers stood waiting. "Hey, you two are injured, remember? We have to get you across town." I nodded. Even though I was only a bit sore now, it would be wise for a medic to check up on us, in case of more concealed damage.

As we passed the guards at the threshold of the village, each one gawked at me in awe. I was sick of all these questions and stares. So looking to the ground stubbornly, I let Gaara's hand guide me the rest of the way to the hospital.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Maybe you didn't hear me clearly. Seluni _will_ _not__have_ _any_ _visitors_ until she's fully healed!!"

I had only met the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, a few hours ago, yet already her loud voice was giving me a headache. How could such a temperamental woman run a country?

"Do you think this is a joke?! Do you understand what this means to me, to my clan?!" Sasuke's thunderous voice rivaled hers as my migraine worsened. From down the hallway, Tsunade had caught Sasuke trying to slip into my hospital room, and so the shouting match began. I could hear it all too clearly from my bed, and I was sure the rest of the building could hear it as well.

"Listen, child, just because there is one more person who survived from your clan _doesn't_ mean I will undermine my concern for my patient!" Her voice rose to a screech. "Now _get out of here_ until she is healed! Sakura, escort Uchiha out of here!"

"Yes, ma'am." Sakura's voice was trembling. It was hard for me to hear this woman yell, I could only imagine how scary she was to witness.

"I'm not leaving until I know who she is!" Sasuke rebuked, "If I'm going to revive my clan I need to -"

"Kazekage!" Tsunade's interrupted. "What are you doing out of bed?" _Oh shit . . ._

Gaara's steady voice was quite unsettling. "Leave this building, Uchiha," he warned. "You have no business with my wife, no matter what clan she is from."

Suddenly it hit me; why Gaara had been so distant in the last few hours. It was painfully clear that he was weighing the outcomes of this new information; that I was clearly not from the Lightning Country. It was only a matter of time before word got out, since it wasn't like I could hide this new identity. The red in my eyes and the streaks on my face proved that, beyond doubt, I was a child of Konoha. Everything we had married for was now at stake.

Would he be angry with me? What if he denied the peace treaty's validity? What if – what if he left me here? My headache throbbed as I imagined the scenario.

Slow footsteps approached down the hallway. I inadvertently gulped and gripped the bed sheets. A flash of fear shot through me. He wouldn't . . . hurt me again, would he?

The footsteps stopped at my door. No, I had to calm myself down. Gaara would never hurt me on purpose. Only Shukaku. I knew that, yet I was terrified.

The door opened, and there stood Gaara, bandaged slightly and with his familiar gourd on.

"Gaara," I couldn't even force a smile. "I didn't know – I mean I did know but I wasn't sure, and I had no idea how to tell you or what it would mean and I was so afraid of losing you - I can't help it – I'm so sorry!" The tears flowed out again. I couldn't even bear to look at him.

He was silent in the doorway as I sobbed into my sheets. "I have no idea what to do. There's no one to help me or tell me what to do, and everyone is mad at me, or they'll think I was lying – the peace treaty is void - I've ruined everything!"

A hand on my shoulder. I looked up into Gaara's teary eyes. He was crying, too. "It's okay, Seluni. This is not your fault." He sat down next to me and wrapped his arms around me, holding me as I cried into his shoulder. It was so comforting to be in his arms again like when we were back in the Sand. How could I fix this mess I made of everything? It was all so much simpler when I knew who I was. If only I could start over. . .

"I knew, Seluni." His voice penetrated my deep thoughts. I pulled away from him, horrified.

"You – you knew?! How? Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed and looked away. "I knew that excuse you gave me for the Inuzuka's visit was a lie. It wasn't a very good one, either."

"It wasn't my idea," I sulked. My mind was racing. _How did this happen? Why didn't he tell me?_

"I know; it was probably Kakashi's. Despite what most people think, he's not quite a genius." His mouth curled into a small smile, and I returned the grin. Smiling was so much easier after a good cry.

"So, you spied on me, did you?" I winked. "And I thought you were trustworthy."

"I think you were the one lying, Seluni."

"True." I smiled as his fingertips ran up my cheek. "But I didn't have much of a choice."

"I know."

"So . . . what do we do now?"

He looked into my eyes for a minute before answering. "Now, we find out the truth."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Yay! thank you all for your wonderful reviews! they inspire me to write faster!

Next update will hopefully be later this week!


	17. Chapter 17 New Scars

Tsunade kept Gaara and me in the hospital for a full night. I was told Gaara's wounds were initially much worse than mine, but he seemed to recover more quickly than I did. She said it was some sort of demon host trait.

That night, after Gaara had grudgingly gone back to his own room, Tsunade insisted that two Konoha ninjas watch my room, one stationed at my door, the other outside near my window. She explained to me that the guards were there to prevent another Akatsuki attack, since they could be in the area. However, I had the distinct feeling that it was Sasuke she was protecting me from.

I tried to veer my thoughts away from him, but his face kept popping into my head. Was I really an Uchiha? I knew nothing of his clan except . . . well Tsunade had mentioned that I was a survivor. Did that mean they were all dead? But what about Sasuke, then?

My mind was far too hectic to allow me to sleep, and if not that, my pounding headache kept me awake. _Maybe some fresh air will calm me down. _The room was too stuffy anyway, I decided, so I got out of bed to open the window.

As I lifted up the glass pane, I welcomed the cool night breeze filling the room. After living in the Wind for so long, a cold wind was comforting and nostalgic. Yet this air was full of different smells, like wood and food. The air back home always smelt like sand. Sighing heavily, I leaned out on my elbows to look out on the village from my third story window. The night was quiet; streetlights dimly lit the empty avenues below, and the dark sky was huge and scattered in stars.

"Nice view, huh?" A familiar voice called next to me. It was Kakashi, using his chakra to let him hang outside the window, next to me with his heels and back on the wall. His dark clothes silhouetted him in weird patterns against the building.

"So you're my guard?" I asked. I had to admit, it was still a little weird seeing ninjas cling to walls by simply focusing their chakra to their feet. But with my new eyes, I could actually watch as the steady flow of blue swirled through his body, under his control.

He nodded and smiled to me. "I had to make sure you were safe tonight, so I volunteered for the job. Your safety means a lot to Gaara."

"How can you tell?" I asked. He turned to face the darkened village.

"When we first met him, Gaara wouldn't think twice about killing a complete stranger. He seemed like a monster to everyone, but he only needed someone to show him what friendship was. Naruto realized that right away. He stepped in to show Gaara that he cared. Now," he looked back to me, "he has you to protect, and to love and be loved by. Everyone was amazed that he went to such lengths to save you."

I didn't realize that I had changed him so much. Looking out over the quiet town, I thought about how oddly happy it made me that I had inadvertently helped him learn to love. Kakashi and I sat in silence for a while before he cleared his throat.

"You're being released tomorrow. Will you talk to Sasuke then?"

I thought for a minute. "I do want to speak to him, but I don't have any answers. I'm more likely to be asking the questions. That is, if he lets me."

"He'll calm down by tomorrow."

"Kakashi, I was wondering . . ."

"Mhm,"

"Does your Hokage have to deal with all this as well?"

"All what?"

"The kidnappings, the politics, even our arranged marriage. There's so much going on, between the fighting and the secrets, and us having to save each other constantly."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, Tsunade just does paperwork all day . . . and drink. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her fight in ages. But there will be a time that she's tested for her abilities and dedication, just like you're being tested now."

"But why do Gaara and I get put into these situations?" I wasn't really expecting an answer.

He looked thoughtful for a minute. "Well, one reason might be because you're so young. Tsunade's really over 50, though she hides that fact. But I think most people assume youth means weakness, which isn't true. Plus, Gaara's a Jinchuuriki, a demon host, which makes him a target for anyone looking for power. Especially Akatsuki. They tried to attack him back when he first became Kazekage, but he beat their asses out of the country. That's why they used you, to bring him to their hideout. They must have been desperate, to just assume he would follow."

"Hey, how did he find me, anyway?"

"Toboe led him there. At least that's what I heard."

"Toboe! I forgot about him. How is he?"

He scratched his head. "Last I heard he was over at the Inuzuka compound. I'm sure he's okay."

There was a comfortable silence as I realized everything would turn out alright. Gaara and Toboe were safe, and he already knew I was not the Raikage's daughter. He loved me anyway, and kept my secret. But what did that mean for him?

"Kakashi . . . do you think people will accept that I'm not who they thought I was?"

I couldn't see his expression in the dark. "Seluni, if I know one thing, it's that people can sometimes judge others too quickly. But I have a feeling that you and Gaara will make them understand that you're still the same person, and you have the right to be with him."

I suddenly felt a swell of gratitude towards the masked man.

"Thanks, Kakashi,"

"No problem."

"No, I mean, thank you for everything. You really helped me get through a few rough spots, when I needed someone there."

He laughed softly. "All I did was guide you a bit when you needed the confidence to continue. But, ah, a little piece of advice?"

"Sure."

"Next time you drop everything to follow a letter, make sure it's from the right person. I've been kicking myself all day that I never told you I use dogs, not birds, to deliver mail. Just remember that in case you ever get another forged letter from 'me', okay?"

I nodded, finally feeling the exhaustion of the day catching up to me. Excusing myself from Kakashi's company, I closed the window, leaving a crack open for a breeze, and hopped back into bed.

I fell asleep rather quickly after that, perfectly content to sleep for hours on end. But during the night I woke up gasping in a cold sweat. A searing headache blinded me for a minute before I could catch my breath and calm down.

Rubbing my forehead, the pain seemed to subside slightly. In the silence I noticed a familiar trickling sound coming from the door. I immediately recognized it as Gaara's sand creeping across the room.

I sat up and watched lazily from my bed as the mess of sand gathered at one spot on the floor. After only a few minutes, my husband stood in the dark before me, his eyes set on mine, and the remainder of his precious sand floating around his feet. I, however, was focused on the fact that he was only wearing his loose pants, his chest exposed to the cool night. After all the times we had slept together as husband and wife, his hard body still seemed to amaze me.

I smirked up at him, his intentions all too clear. "Just couldn't wait, could you?"

His deliberate footsteps towards me were my answer. Pushing my shoulders down, he set himself on top of me, straddling me with his knees. He pressed his lips to mine and I could feel his chest heaving on mine.

He began kissing down my neck as his hands found their way to my shirt. Humming in pleasure I inadvertently arched my back towards him.

Something was pestering the back of my mind. "Gaara, they're right outside the room, you're not supposed to be here." I heard him laugh softly in response as his lips and tongue continued to assault my neck.

I winced as I recognized that laugh. "Shukaku . . ." It had been a long time since the demon emerged from within Gaara. I had been fortunate to have not seen him in so long, but once in a while, when Gaara was particularly excited, this would happen. I braced myself for what Shukaku might do this time.

A rope of sand whipped up from the floor, catching my wrists and pulling them above my head. I shut my eyes and thought about what my options were. _I could shout and alert the Konoha ninjas on guard outside._

My shirt was pushed off my shoulders. B_ut if they burst in here, they might attack him, which would hurt Gaara as well as the demon._

His hips were grinding against mine, pressing himself against my thigh. _I can stick this out one more time. Besides, last time I screamed it only made things worse for me. The demon doesn't like to be interrupted_.

The sheets between us were ripped away and the remainder of my clothes was pulled down by his sand. I heard a faint growling as he lowered his head down my chest, kissing and licking a line down to my stomach. I waited impatiently for the worst part to begin as it always did on these wretched nights, with his lust for blood.

As he explored my body, his sand formed several more thin ropes like whips that suspended in the air above me.

Thrash. Cut. My mouth opened in an almost scream but I forced myself to remain quiet. Slash. Whip. I choked back the sobs rising in my throat. Gaara, or Shukaku, seemed completely oblivious to the pain I was in, except for the hungry way he watched my wounds bleed.

Finally something pressed against me down there. Good, I thought, the quicker he begins, the quicker he will finish. Unfortunately, the demon had a lot of stamina and could continue for a while, even if I passed out from pain in the meantime. As he pushed his way inside I heard his ragged breathing increase, and a rope of sand snaked its way around my neck. He bottomed out deep inside me before pulling out again, rolling his head back in pleasure. The sand restraints around my wrists and neck tightened as he began.

xxxxxxxxx

I slowly woke to hear birds chirping cheerfully outside my window. _That's strange,_ I thought, _I haven't heard birds sing since I left Kumogakure_. I didn't know where I was for a minute, but I didn't have time to consider it once the burning headache returned full force. As I tried to raise my hand to my head, the sudden pain of my fresh wounds hit me. _Oh, yeah_. The familiar weight of Gaara's body on mine, and the stinging all over my body brought me back to reality. Refusing to open my eyes, I lay for a minute until the pain in my head subsided to a dull throbbing.

His body was shivering on mine, yet his breathing was calm. I felt a surge of pity for Gaara, who could never sleep soundly, and it was only on a few rare nights that he wouldn't wake up sweating or shouting from some twisted nightmare.

I finally opened my eyes, yet I regretted it instantly. The degree of pain I felt from my cuts doubled when I actually saw the damage.

The hospital bed was splattered in blood, as was Gaara's entire body, sprawled across mine on his front. My stomach lurched as I saw the amount of blood near his mouth, as if he had bitten me All over my body were welts and gashes, mixed in with a thin layer of sand over our figures. It accumulated near my wrists, where deep burns had scarred my skin. _Had I passed out again last night?_ I must have, because I hardly remembered a thing after the horrible whips.

I remained motionless for a few minutes, wondering how to handle the situation. Biting my lip absentmindedly, I yelped in pain as the scabbing skin ripped easily once more.

Gaara shifted slightly, inadvertently tearing a layer of blood that had glued me to him. It felt like a thousand needles had dug into my stomach, and I watched helplessly as a few fresh lines of my blood trickled down my side.

Still, I knew it wasn't him that caused me pain; the demon was in control last night. Gaara couldn't stop him any more than I could. I looked down at the face of my husband, my attacker. He looked so peaceful. When he was sleeping, he was back to his real self. Just watching him sleep helped calm me down and catch my breath until I dropped my head back onto my pillow, wishing more than anything else that he would be freed from this curse.

A sudden soft knock on the door brought me back from my thoughts. _Shit, what do I do?_ I looked down at Gaara's naked body, which thankfully covered mine. Still, there was no hiding the blood –

The door opened and a blonde head peeked inside. Big blue eyes met mine, slowly took in the scene, then shot back to me, wider with fear.

"Wha- What - Seluni? Is that Gaara? Oh damn . . . oh damn –"

"Wait," I hissed, "Naruto, please –" The door slammed shut with a bang, and the body on mine stirred again.

Gaara's back rose as he inhaled sharply, raising his arms to stretch himself as he did each morning. I couldn't help but whimper at the effect his movements were having on my unhealed cuts. Noticing the noise, eyes still closed, he wrapped his arms around my torso and dug his face into my chest like a pillow. It was cute at other times, but not now, when a dark red line had been slashed from my collar bone to my navel.

My gasp of pain finally caused his dark eyelids to open, as his beautiful aqua eyes met mine. He examined my face for a second, then his shock turned into understanding and fear. He whipped his head around to look at our entwined bodies and the sheets and the blood and sand. He leapt off the bed and the dusted sand followed suit, collecting at his feet.

His fearful eyes met mine. "Seluni . . ." his voice nearly broke my heart. I looked away miserably, unable to keep his gaze when memories of similar bloody mornings were running through my mind. I felt shaky hands folding the red stained sheets over me, covering my body.

The door burst open and Tsunade charged in, Shizune and Naruto close in tow. I instinctively pulled the sheets up tighter to me as the three surveyed the scene. Shizune's face turned beet red and she whipped around to face the open doorway.

Tsunade rubbed her eyes in contemplation and said quietly, "Kazekage, please get dressed."

I would have laughed at the situation if it hadn't been so serious. After a rustling of clothes from behind me, Gaara walked around the bed so he stood between the Hokage and me.

"Can you help her?" he asked, his eyes on the floor. His set jaw proved how angry he was.

"Wha- Of course I'm going to help her!" Tsunade hastily stepped around Gaara and began lifting the sheets around me gingerly, examining my cuts. "Kazekage, please tell me what happened."

There was a stark silence in the room as the four of us awaited his answer.

"It was me," he murmured, and I watched his troubled eyes close as he said it. "It was an accident."

Tsunade's head whipped around to him. "You did this to her? Why?" I could almost feel Gaara's guilt as her words hit him.

"It wasn't him. It was Shukaku." Naruto stepped towards Gaara as he spoke, his eyes looking as guilty as Gaara's. "It was your demon, wasn't it?"

Gaara looked up at the blonde, but without that look of indifferent contempt as he had with most people. I suddenly remembered Kakashi's words that night.

'_He seemed like a monster to everyone, but he only needed someone to show him what friendship was. Naruto realized that right away. He stepped in to show Gaara that he cared.'_

So there was a familiarity between these two. I was glad for that. Gaara needed a friend now. My wounds were easy to heal, but Gaara's pain was where no medic could find it.

"Shizune, stop acting like a school girl and help me!" Tsunade's voice boomed. "And for God's sake close the door!"

The apprentice nearly jumped out of her skin and ran to obey her orders. I heard a chuckle from the window – Kakashi was perched there, for how long, I didn't know. From what I could see of his face, he looked more bemused than upset at the scene before him.

"Hatake Kakashi!" Tsunade snapped. "Where the hell were you when this happened?"

He held a hand up, trying to appear innocent. "Well, I've been on guard all night. There have been no intruders into the room. I had no idea I was to protect Seluni from her own husband. I gave them their privacy."

Tsunade foot began tapping impatiently and she opened her mouth as if to answer, then thought better of it. Finally, giving an exasperated sigh she went back to examining my wounds.

"Alright, nothing serious," she muttered to herself as green chakra began spilling out of her hands. But she couldn't work unless the sheets were removed. "Shizune, please escort Naruto and the Kazekage out. And close that window; we don't want any pesty birds in the room."

Kakashi laughed at her implication and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Come on, Naruto, Kazekage," Shizune opened the door just as someone was skidding to a stop outside the room.

"Sasuke, get out of here!" Naruto hissed. Sasuke ignored him, but his eyes grew wide at the sight me wrapped in bloody sheets.

"What did you do to her?" he shouted at Gaara.

Gaara stepped up to him angrily as sand picked itself up off the floor and swirled quickly around his feet.

"You – leave." His steady voice caused me to groan in frustration. I was fed up with these boys always willing to pick a fight.

"ALL of you STOP fighting or I'm gonna BEAT you til you CRY!" I roared, from my bed, earning wise stares from all three boys.

"Please." I added as an afterthought.

Naruto snickered and put a hand on Gaara's bare shoulder, guiding him reluctantly out of the room. "Don't worry, Seluni, I'll keep an eye on them!" he called out as he pulled the door shut with his foot.

I still heard his muffled voice from the hallway. "Although I would pay big money to see Sasuke cry . . ."

xxxxxxxxx

It didn't take long for Tsunade to heal my cuts. The worst one was the gash across my chest, which left a dull pink scar that matched the one along my side.

"I'm turning into a real freak show," I chuckled as the Hokage finished healing the welts on my wrist. (I was feeling much better now, and I hadn't heard any fighting from the three in the hallway besides the occasional outburst from Naruto.)

Tsuande smiled vaguely, yet I could tell her mind was elsewhere. "All done no w," she said, placing my wrists down onto my lap. I was all dressed again in a pair of clothes Temari had dropped off at the front desk during the night. I was still feeling stiff, and my headache still pounded dully, but overall nothing serious prevented me from leaving the hospital that afternoon.

Shizune nodded and began opening the door.

"Wait," Tsunade called to her, "I need you to leave the room for a minute." Her apprentice nodded suspiciously and stepped out, meeting many loud protests and questions from the three men outside. I didn't hear her soft answers because Tsunade was looking at me with a stern face.

Once the door shut behind Shizune, the Hokage sat next to me on the bed, taking my hand like a parent about to lecture.

"Seluni, I know what happened. And I know that the reason you accept it is because you love the Kazekage . . . but something has to change."

"What'd you mean?"

"As it looks to me, you willingly put your life on the line to submit to Gaara's demon." She waved away my protests. "I need you to promise me you won't sleep with him as long as you remain in this country. If something happened to you, it would have severe effects on our peace status. Misunderstandings have a way of being grossly exaggerated; I've seen wars started by far lesser things than the death of a Kage's wife."

I nodded solemnly.

"I need one more thing from you, Seluni. Surprising as it may be, it's actually my business whether you came from a Konoha clan or not. So I'd prefer it if you could speak with Sasuke Uchiha as soon as possible."

Sighing, I nodded again. It could not be put off any longer. I gazed out the window at the orange sun, just reaching over the rooftops and splashing the village in the glow of its rays.

"Do you mind if I speak privately with him? Maybe outside?"

Tsuande's relieved smile told me she had almost expected a refusal. She picked up a pair of sandals at the foot of the bed and laid them at my feet.

"Are you feeling well enough right now?"

Xxxxxx

A/N: again, I'm sorry about the wait! I kept making more drafts of this chapter and tossed quite a few, and I'm still not satisfied with this one. Ah well, I hope you enjoyed it!!


	18. Chapter 18 In the Temple

A/N: I really liked writing this chapter, cuz I got to research the Uchiha clan history, which is actually really complicated. Anyway, r &r, thank you!!

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I followed Tsunade out of the hospital room, anxious about my future confrontation with Sasuke. The moment my foot hit the hallway, I heard a yelp and a blonde blur ran to me from a few yards away.

"Are you okay, Seluni? What's wrong? You're not leaving Konoha are you? Cuz Granny Tsuande probably healed you all up but you don't have to leave. Beside, I wanted to show you this ramen place I love!" Naruto stopped for breath. I took the opportunity to glance down the hallway, where a grumpy Sasuke and a slightly shorter, yet equally pissed off Gaara stood side to side, expectantly. _How did Naruto get them both to calm down?_

"Excuse me, Naruto," I cut in as he began another rant. After looking to Tsunade for reassurance, I walked over to the two men, swallowing a lump in my throat.

"Um, Gaara, Tsunade wants me to talk to Sasuke for a bit," I spoke to the floor. Why did this feel like I was betraying him?

Gaara stiffened and put a finger on my chin to raise my face up to his. He was definitely still upset, but without a word, he gave me a quick kiss and disappeared.

I determinedly met Sasuke's dark stare.

"Can we go somewhere privately to talk?" I asked. His stony look was so like Gaara's that I wasn't the least bit intimidated, although passerby in the hallway seemed to steer away from him. He nodded, though, and led me down the hallway and several sets of stairs. I was amazed at how quiet he was, considering his rant from the day before. I also kept silent, trying very unsuccessfully not to concentrate on the man's confident swagger and the way his ass looked as he walked. _Stop it, Seluni_, I scolded myself, _he's cute, but he's trouble. Don't even think of him like that._

Sasuke paused at the front door to let me catch up, then, surprisingly held it open for me. A bit puzzled, I eyed him warily as he let me pass through. What did he expect me to do, thank him? This guy shouted at me yesterday and tried to hurt Gaara twice. Therefore, no matter how polite he pretended to be, I wasn't about to be gracious. Nor was willing to let my guard down.

The sun shone down brightly over Konoha, instantly increasing me headache, and filling every street and corner of the village with light. It was just as crowded as Sunagakure, but everyone wore bolder clothing, and less of it. Back in Suna, I had gotten so used to conservative layered clothing that all this freedom was strange. Only in training was it appropriate to wear more revealing shorts or mesh, like Temari often donned.

"You want to keep walking?" Sasuke interrupted my reflection, waiting expectantly for me on the street.

"Sorry." I walked up and let him lead me across the village. All the streets looked the same to me, crowded and lined with shops. Thankfully, Sasuke seemed to know exactly where he was headed, leading me silently down the main street and a few less crowded blocks before turn abruptly into an open area, similar to a large park. There were flowers scattered about, a forest ahead, and a small pond with a dirt trail traveling past it.

"This is beautiful," I said aloud, to myself more than to Sasuke, who had continued walking down the dirt path.

I caught up and walked beside him. We traveled in silence yet again. Being around Gaara so much had seemed to make me more prone to silence, even to the point where I could tell what Gaara was thinking when no one else could. With Sasuke, however, I knew as much about him as I did about this whole village; basically nothing.

"Why do you let him hurt you?" he said suddenly. A little taken aback, I studied his stern face.

"What do you care?" I asked suspiciously. This was not the way I thought the conversation would start.

"You're the last female Uchiha. I'm the last member of the main family. It's my business to know."

I stopped walking, following him with my eyes as he continued down the path.

"Sasuke, stop." He turned to face me, his face blank as ever. "So you know I'm an Uchiha then?"

"Of course you are. You have the Sharingan, the strongest bloodline limit in Konoha, only acquired by an Uchiha."

Finally we were getting somewhere.

"Then . . . what about these marks on my face? I don't see you with them. In fact the Inuzukas are the only ones I've seen with them."

He shrugged and continued walking. Now I was getting aggravated. I took a breath to calm down and caught up to him again.

"Well I'm sorry, but I thought you had some answers - "

"Who were your parents?" he asked.

"I don't know. I was raised by the Raikage, thinking I was his until only a few weeks ago. I never had these eyes or these marks or any idea – "

"You have no proof otherwise then?"

"I told you I don't."

"No keepsake or clue about your parents?"

I shook my head, trying to stay calm. I knew he would be asking these same questions like everyone else, but I couldn't help but feel like I was being interrogated. But something about the Sharingan was nagging me.

"Hey Sasuke, if you have the Sharingan, why aren't your red eyes like mine?"

He looked confused for a second, displaying his first emotion all morning. He stopped and looked me in the eye, and I watched his black eyes swirl into crimson, trimmed with dark pinwheel-like spots. The Sharingan gave the appearance of eyes with no depth, like a reflection in a shallow pond. It was fascinating to watch, and it took me a minute to realize I was still staring into his eyes. I turned away awkwardly.

"So you can turn it on and off. Why can't I change mine back then?"

"Have you tried?"

"No, but – "

"Just concentrate on the color of your old eyes. Green, right?"

"Um, yeah." I looked at the grass ahead of us and focused on the color. Feeling no change, I looked to him for support, but I realized that I didn't see his bright chakra anymore. My sight was back to normal.

He nodded. "There you go. Green."

I touched my face absently. "That's all? I didn't feel a thing."

We began walking again. "You won't feel it change," he said, "Now, you might just know when it's activated by your vision, but then you get used to feeling the difference. But you shouldn't keep them on for too long. It damages your eyes and causes pain."

Oh. That would explain my headache I had since the Akatsuki incident. I had hardly noticed that it was gone.

"Thank you," I said, for the first time feeling a bit grateful to him. He didn't have to teach me how to use them, after all.

"Is your Sharingan just the same as mine, then?"

"What we have is the Mangekyo Sharingan, an advanced version. Its technique varies from person to person. I can use mine to hypnotize my enemies, or send their minds to an illusionary dimension that I control."

"I think I did that. When I fought Deidara, I kind of sent his mind somewhere, and I killed him in the illusion, and ended up killing him in reality."

He nodded, his mind elsewhere. "That's a powerful technique," he mused, "Like my brothers', rare, but not unheard of. But I want to know how your Sharingan advanced."

"What do you mean?"

He licked his lip and looked away, thoughtful for a second before regaining his composure. "Not many Uchihas ever obtained the Mangekyo Sharingan because of the sacrifice you have to make for it. My brother earned it by killing off our entire clan. I did by killing my brother."

"Wait, the entire clan is gone?"

"Yes. They're all gone but me." His steady voice proved he had come to terms with that fact long ago.

"And now me, too." I responded, still in a bit of shock. What a blow that was. To think I finally found out a part of my past, and any trace of it was gone.

"So you understand why I wanted to speak to you?"

"Yeah, I – wow. I just never thought I'd be part of something this big."

We had reached the beginnings of the forest, with impossibly tall trees and lush with green. The path seemed to narrow as the forest deepened, at some points even wearing away to the point where it was indiscernible. But still, Sasuke knew the way like a map, and we soon came across a small sign along the trail. It was round and had a small symbol on it, like a white and red fan.

"This is one entrance into my clan's compound," he said, noticing my gaze. "It's still unoccupied, but I want to show you something here."

"Well, what is it?" I was hopeful of seeing the place. Maybe I would find a clue here to who I was . . . maybe I'd recognize something there. Was it ridiculous to think that?

After about a ten minutes' walk in the forest, the path became wider and I could see gray buildings through the trees. There was no gate, yet the forest seemed to thin out just to allow the compound to exist. With a crunch under my feet, we stepped onto crumbled pavement and into the area.

It was a depressing scene before me. I didn't know what I had expected, but the compound must have been abandoned for years. The buildings were crumbling and seemed about to collapse at any moment. There was debris all over, from tipped wooden carts to fallen telephone poles, to food stands that stank of rotted wares. There was no wind here; one side of the compound was bordered by a wall, bearing the same fan symbol repeatedly, which had completely collapsed at parts.

We walked in silence down the wide main street, past dozens of houses, each with the same ominous emptiness as the next. The balconies loomed over us accusingly, and I felt like an outside invading a sacred, sorrowful place. I didn't say a word of comfort to Sasuke; what could I say? This entire place seemed to be asleep and on the verge of collapse, and I felt even a whisper would cause it to crumple completely.

I looked for anything to recognize, wrecking my mind to find a memory of the tall, closed main gates, or of this large building, or that walkway. Nothing felt right, nothing felt familiar here.

Sudden movement caught my eye, and I whirled readily to face it. But it was just a black cat appearing from an old home, the animal as silent as the rest of the compound. It sat and watched me with yellow, knowing eyes. Even as I turned to catch up with Sasuke, who hadn't noticed the intruder, I could feel its gaze on me.

We reached a particularly large building, fashioned as a temple, set in the far reaches of the compound, away from the houses. I followed Sasuke up the disintegrating stone stairs, achingly aware of the pain he must be going through to return here.

At the front door he finally stopped and turned to me. I expected to see a tear, a frown, anything other than his blank face looking back at me. What emotions was he hiding so well behind that façade?

"This is the Nakano Temple, the temple of our clan." _Our_ clan; that still sounded bizarre to me.

"It's large for a temple," I mused, looking over the vast building, overcome with vines and as ruined as the other buildings.

"Many secrets of our clan are hidden within. What I want to show you is inside."

He pushed open the old doors, creating a loud creak that seemed to echo throughout the compound. I held my breath as I followed him into the dark room, almost expecting the compound to react to the sudden disruption.

A burst of fire from within caught my attention. Sasuke was blowing flames into several torches on the floor, the flames creating a mesmerizing dance of orange light on the empty room.

I followed him deeper within, looking at the eerie images on the walls, of scowling idols, that fan symbol, and painted flames. At the rear of the temple was a golden statue of a god with a cruel face.

As I neared Sasuke, I heard him muttering to himself, "In the right corner of the rear of the room, under the seventh tatami mat . .." I began to back up. I didn't like this place. I had gotten a frightening feeling of this room from the start, and I suddenly feared whatever it was Sasuke was looking for. I got anxious being alone with him, especially in this old ominous temple in a part of the village that had been abandoned since a mass murder.

Sasuke looked up as I began backing away. Then something caught his eye behind me, and he frowned. I hesitantly turned to look. The black cat had appeared in the doorway, its yellow eyes glowing in the dark.

"Tsukai. What are you doing here?" He sounded angry.

The cat swaggered up to my side and sat down.

"Forgive me, Uchiha Sasuke, for being here," it said in a perfectly human voice (it ignored my jump of surprise), "But I have a message to give to this woman."

"I banished you all from these grounds eight years ago," Sasuke snapped, still half hidden in darkness.

"Far be it from us _lowly_ cats to disobey a direct order from an Uchiha," it said sneeringly, "But my task to deliver this message to Uchiha Seluni was given to me long ago, while you were still in diapers."

Now the cat had both our attentions.

I knelt down to speak to it, my curiosity pushing aside my awe of a talking cat.

"Who are you?"

"She is Tsukai, one of the guardian cats of our clan. They were ordered not to return to this compound. Your message better be important, cat."

Tsukai seemed to glare at Sasuke for a minute, if cats can glare. "You never were a friend of ours, Uchiha Sasuke," it hissed, "We are ashamed to call you master. Your father Uchiha Fugaku was a most respected leader, and valued our alliance. Yet you – it is a shame you disgrace your family this way, casting us out and forgetting our past kindness."

"Don't you dare mention my father's name, you coward! You cats called yourselves the sentinels of my clan, yet where were you when they were killed? You and your precious elder cat fled to the armory while they lay here dying!" Sasuke was at the point of shouting. I stood shocked, feeling like I was encroaching on a long lasting argument.

The cat turned its brilliant yellow eyes to me. "Maybe I should speak to you in private, Uchiha Seluni. I don't believe this _boy_ is in any condition to hear your message."

"Sasuke, this is important to me. Please."

He turned to face the golden statue, his fists clenched.

"Okay, let's have it."

The cat sniffed and walked to the left wall. She pressed her paw on one carved flame in the stone, which fell back to reveal a small dark shelf. She stuck her head in and pulled out a small scroll in her teeth, placing it at my feet.

I picked it up gingerly, examining the yellowed paper and sealed kanji around it.

"Sasuke . . . how do you open it?"

"Only you can open it," interrupted the cat.

Sasuke walked over and knelt in front of me. "Activate your Sharingan," he instructed. I tried concentrating on the color red, and looked up at him. It obviously hadn't worked.

"I thought you knew how," he sighed, "You have to feel what emotion you felt when the Sharingan first activated. Try again."

What emotion I felt? Back in the cave, I was angry, confused, and miserable. I had thought Gaara had died, thought I would never see him again . . .

"There you go," Sasuke said. I looked at him again and saw his chakra swirling around once more, brighter than anything else in the room.

"Now copy me." He performed three hand seals and placed his hand on the ground. I watched a small amount of chakra flow into his fingers and disperse into the ground.

My hands seemed to move of their own accord, easily forming the seals and placing my hand on the tag, as if I had been doing it all my life. I felt the strange sensation of my chakra flying into the seal. The kanji peeled and disappeared, leaving the scroll unhampered.

I wanted to feel happy about finally learning a jutsu. But all I could feel was my heart pounding as I pulled open the scroll. It was hand written in sloppy script, and I had to lean towards the nearest torch to read it.

_My dear Seluni,_

_I hope your new parents have kept your rightful name, even though I hardly had the right to name you. I am Uchiha Yashiro, and I am your father. The fact that you are reading this letter is proof that you know who you really are: an Uchiha, or at least half so. I am almost ashamed to write this letter to you now, revealing my worst secret and my guiltiness in conceiving you. _

_Your mother's name was Inuzuka Tenrousei, and the love of my life. I unfortunately met her after I had wed a woman in the Uchiha Clan, as is custom. Tenrousei and I began an affair, which was forbidden not only because of my marriage, but because your mother's clan was considered 'inferior' to ours. After a few months of secret meetings and deception towards our families, your mother knew she was with my child, pregnant with you._

_It was a horrible decision to make. Should we keep you and raise you in exile, risking punishment from the police, and living in dishonor for your birth, or should we renounce you as a child, maybe never seeing you again, but sparing you from that dishonor? The decision was made clearer when your beautiful mother died during delivery. I would never blame you for this accident, Seluni, but, there was no way to keep you anymore._

_Please do not think badly of me for giving you up; I was heartbroken to do it. But you must understand that the life of an orphan in this country is worth more than that of a child born out of wedlock. I was for the best for both of us._

_I hope that you can forgive me; for giving you up to the band of travelers, who swore to find you a good home. My lies and guilt haunt me every night and every time I see a green eyed Inuzuka. Her clan never found out that I was the man she was seeing, nor did they ever find the baby she had died for. _

_I will always keep a spark of hope that you will find out who you are, and someday come home. I remember you having your mother's bright green eyes from the moment you were born, and I would give anything to see those eyes again. I pray that I can be here to tell you this all myself, yet being a rational man, I knew this secret must be kept substantial in case we never meet. I trust this letter in the care of our precious guardian cats, whom have yet to fail me._

_I love you, and I'm sorry. _

_Uchiha Yashiro_

I read it a second time and then stared at the paper for a minute, hardly believing what I had read. I was a child of an Uchiha and an Inuzuka, a bastard child who was given away to spare them dishonor. After all this searching, to finally find an answer like this . . .

I couldn't stop the tears from falling. Tossing the letter in Sasuke's direction, I slumped to the floor, my hands in fists. My mother died giving birth to me, my father was killed in the murder of the Uchiha Clan. What did I even gain from coming here?

I turned to watch Sasuke read the letter solemnly. He glanced up at me when he was finished, rolling the scroll back up. He seemed about to say something, but thought better of it. The silence between us now was awkward.

"We'd better leave now," he said, offering me the scroll. I looked at it in disgust, quite unwilling to keep it. But I knew I should, and pocketed it, wiping my eyes of the tears.

"May I take my leave, Uchiha Seluni?" the cat said.

"Of course, Tsukai, thank you."

She glanced up at Sasuke. "My task is complete. I will not return to this compound." The black cat darted out the door into the afternoon light. Meanwhile, Sasuke and I still sat in the darkness.

"Sasuke? Can we leave now?" I asked quietly.

His dark eyes met mine. "We can always come back."


	19. Chapter 19 The Two Beasts

A/N - Ouch. I know it's been a long time. But I'm finally on vacation, which means more leisure time to finish the story! – and thank you all so much for reviewing. Only a few more chapters to go!!

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On our way back to the hospital, neither of us said a word, nor even looked at each other. I was deep in thought about the letter still clenched in my hand.

We were still deep in the forest when a hand roughly grabbed my wrist and threw me against a tree.

"Sasuke, what the hell?" I shouted, thinking he was trying to snap me back to reality. Instead, he pushed himself against me, pinning me to the tree. I tried to shove him off of me, to no avail. He was strong enough to hold me in place without much effort, with one hand on each of my arms.

"No more," he said. His head was lowered, his eyes hidden from view. "This is not the way I should have found you, the last heir. But I have to deal with the situation properly."

"What are you talking about?" I shrieked, panicking from the sudden, meaningless attack. "What do you mean you've found me? What situation?"

He paused as he raised his dark eyes to mine, and I had to suppress the chill they gave me. "I have always had only two goals in life. To kill my brother, and to revive my clan. I accomplished one. My brother has been dead for a year. Now, Seluni, you're going to help me with the other."

My head swam with the information. Revive his clan – he didn't mean -

"Are you _insane_, Sasuke? I'm married to Gaara. What do you think you're doing?"

He leaned his head in to breath deeply into my neck. "Something I've been owed for a long time."

"You aren't owed anything! Hey - Get off of me!"

His hand slid up my thigh and pulled my shirt up my side. His fingers grazed my bra as he whispered, "I already told you, I am the son of the head family. You were a member of a branch family. Which means I have power over you. I own you. I'm simply taking what's mine- oof!"

He exhaled sharply at my well-placed kick to his groin. The moment his grip loosened, I ripped my arms from his hands and shot into the forest. I didn't care that I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get away from this guy whose lunacy rivaled Gaara's.

Darting around trees and in a direction away from the Uchiha compound and from Sasuke, I realized with a groan that he was a shinobi, and he would catch up with me in no time flat.

I only got about a hundred feet away when there was a rustle of leaves behind me. I quickly skirted around a dense patch of trees, only to run straight into the Uchiha. He immediately grabbed my neck and squeezed tight, keeping me at arm's length.

His Sharingan blazed down on me in hatred as I choked, desperately trying to peel his fingers away. My eyes grew wide and my throat was on fire. Was he going to kill me?

Sasuke threw me on the ground and stood at my side with a kunai in hand. I stared at the sharp blade as he spoke.

"Stop trying to resist, Uchiha Seluni. You'll only make it worse for yourself."

I gritted my teeth and spoke hoarsely from my bruising throat. "My name," I said angrily, "Is Kazekage no Seluni. I belong to _him_, to _Gaara_, not you!"

A flash of metal and Sasuke's kunai landed an inch from my ear, shaking with the force of the throw. I swallowed difficultly and met his eyes.

"No!" he shouted, "You never were from Kumogakure or wherever, you never were a Kage's to sell or a Kage's to own. I am the last male of our clan and you belong to me – married or not!"

I couldn't deny that what he said had hurt. I was forced to consider his point. I never was my father's daughter. Was the peace treaty valid? Was the marriage even valid?

_Of course it is_, I realized. Being with Gaara was no longer about a stupid deal for political gain. It was real, it was what made me happy, and it would last forever. Sasuke could try all he wanted to renounce the legitimacy of the marriage; it wouldn't change a thing.

"Sasuke," I tried not to flinch under his stare. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, to your clan. But you can find someone else to be with, because it's not me, and you can't force something that will never happen."

As I spoke I prepared to grab the kunai in the ground. I reached up with my left hand to take it, yet in one swift movement, Sasuke's foot rested heavily on my wrist.

"I'm leaving, Sasuke." I murmured, trying to get up. But his shoe pressed me back to the ground. I felt anger boiling inside me. He was trying to trap me like an animal, trying to force me to stay. I hated him now, more than ever. My breath quickened and my adrenaline pumped with my rising anger.

"Get. Off. Me." I spat as I saw sparks and swirls of chakra form inside him. My Sharingan had activated.

He didn't answer, but instead lifted his foot and knelt down over me, straddling my sides. He took my wrists and held them to the ground.

His face was incredibly calm for such a situation. "I told you," he whispered, looking down my body as he spoke, "You're mine from now on. That man will never have you again. And even if he tries, I'll kill him."

My eyes teared up as I fought for something to say, but I was speechless. My arms and torso were immobile, we were alone in a forest who knew how large, and Sasuke had the power and motivation to do what he wanted here. His Sharingan, so like my own, enabled him to see any move I planned. How could I stop him?

"Don't do this," I cried out, closing my eyes as to not look into the evil red reflection of my own. His hands pulled my wrists together over my head and a rope was tied around them.

I couldn't even kick him from this angle, yet I found the right moment to spit in his face.

"You bastard," I shouted, struggling against the bonds above my head, which he held in place with one hand.

"I'm not the bastard here, you are." He replied.

"Stop messing around!" I yelled back furiously. "What do you think you'll do, hide me from Gaara until he forgets about me? Maybe convince the him and the Hokage that a dead clan still has rights? You can't pull this off, you're crazy!"

_Smack_. My cheek burned as I looked up at him in shock, his hand already raised again.

"Listen, girl," he hissed, "My clan is not dead and you are my last hope of producing a pure Uchiha bloodline. That letter in your hands was my reassurance that your father was Uchiha, so you belong to my clan, and to me."

Before I could answer, I heard a rusting sound from far off in the woods. I recognized the scent on the faint breeze. It was him!

My attentions were brought back to Sasuke as he leant forward to kiss my neck, ignoring how I arched away from him. He played with the hem on my shirt. He took his time, he thought he had won.

I thought I'd try one more time to talk sense into this crazy man. "Sasuke," I spoke away from him to keep my face out of reach from his kisses, "When Gaara finds out what you're trying to do, he'll kill you."

Sasuke scoffed at my words and began pulling up my shirt. "He won't find out. We have hours before he even starts looking for you."

I would have been afraid if not for the increasing sounds and smell. He was making a beeline for this exact spot. He would take maybe five minutes to get here. I couldn't risk telling Sasuke he was coming; he might try to escape with me. Could I stall him long enough?

"Wait, what do you plan to do when they figure out I'm missing?"

"Doesn't matter."

"The Hokage won't stand for this! She'll make you give me back!"

He let out a sigh and stopped to reach into a packet at his side. Was he going to let me go? But he pulled out a piece of gray cloth and roughly slung it over my head, tying it over my mouth as a makeshift gag.

I squirmed and tried to shout, to tell him at least that he was going to get killed, but I could only produce muffled cries. With his hand on my bound arms and his legs on my own, I quickly tired and lay panting, my eyes still streaming tears. _Hurry, Gaara, _I prayed, _before it's too late!_

Sasuke thankfully moved slowly, thinking he had all the time in the world. His hands moved to my chest and under my bra, massaging my breasts as I turned my head in disgust. I tried to think of Gaara, tried to ignore the pervert whose hands were on me now.

His attention moved to my pants at the same moment I was finally able to push the gag away with my tongue.

"Gaara!" I shouted at the top of my voice, "Gaara, hurry!"

I saw the movement but couldn't stop him as Sasuke's fist raised and he punched me in the head. My head went dizzy from pain, yet I saw his blurry figure straighten to look around, maybe searching for the sand-nin or any other intruders.

I closed my eyes to ease the raw pain from his fist. The loose gag was ripped away from my face. "Is he coming?" he roared, his voice betraying his fear.

I ignored him. Another slap across the face, and his hands grabbed my shirt to pull me up to him.

"_Is_ he coming? Tell me or I'll mess you up so bad he won't want you!"

I shuddered at the threat, yet didn't answer. Whatever happened, I couldn't let Sasuke win.

In attempt to escape the pain that was throbbing from my cheek where he hit me, I looked up blankly at the bright afternoon sky, partially hidden from the treetops.

"No," he murmured, "I won't let him have you." Sasuke quickly stood up and looked down at me, blocking my view from anything but himself. His crazed red eyes were wide with panic. And I saw another kunai gripped tightly in his hand.

"Sasuke – please wait – ahh!" My vision swam as the blade slashed my cheek and ran across my face, just missing my eye. Again he struck, this time hitting my shoulder and slicing a line across my chest. His foot went down sharply on my elbow to keep my hands above my head as I struggled, my own screams deafening me.

"He won't want you when you're scarred and broken!" he shouted, and I opened my eyes again to see him raise the weapon over my bare stomach.

His body suddenly arched comically to the side and he flew off of me, landing with a thud at the base of a tree. He moaned and looked painfully at the large sandy dagger sticking out of his side.

The ground below me shook and swam around me, encircling me in a cradle of sand, carrying me out of the clearing and away from Sasuke. I almost cried again in happiness. He was finally here.

Sasuke stood up and clenched the dagger at his side. He gripped it where the hilt would be and pulled it out with a shout of pain. Blood began spewing out of the wound, yet he placed a hand over it and turned towards the invisible attacker.

He leapt down from the trees, a blur of red and brown. I could not see his face, but his sand gourd was rippling in excitement and the ground around his feet seemed to circle him. His chakra was a brilliant swirling light that extended to the particles of sand around him.

"Gaara," I moaned, feeling the hot pain of my ripped cheek as I spoke. He turned his head to me and with a shock I saw that his eyes were no longer that beautiful blue, but golden and black. They met my stare with no emotion other than anger. He glanced at something behind me and turned back to the wounded man before him.

_Was he mad at me? Why?_ I barely noticed my hands were unbound until Toboe snuck under my elbow to gently lie on top of me. I glanced at his bandaged leg before looking back to the fight with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Sasuke was in a fighting stance; apparently his wound had stopped bleeding. He pulled several shuriken out of his pack and jumped up into the treetops. Gaara looked up silently as the weapons were thrown directly at him. His sand met them midair and the shuriken fell to the ground, yet the sand rose to the sky, precariously swirling like a dark cloud.

"Sand Drizzle," Gaara said, raising his hand and dropping it swiftly. The cloud of sand formed a thousand brown needles that hurdled down towards Sasuke. He leapt from tree to tree, evading all but a few which stuck to his shoulders and leg.

"Fire Release!" Sasuke shouted as he formed hand signals. A huge burst of flame came toward us, burning up trees in its path. I saw only Gaara's silhouette standing before the flames as a shield of sand covered me entirely in darkness, along with Toboe. I gripped him in fear as the roar of the flames washed over us and passed.

"Gaara!" I shouted. The sand remained over us, protecting us from the fight. I heard muffled shouts and roars of flame and sand and I didn't know what else. I pushed against the barrier futilely, hoping to help or at least watch Gaara fight. But Toboe nudged me as if telling me to stop, I was already weak.

"Sand Shuriken," and a shout of pain. Moments later, "Chidori!" and a strange, loud chirping noise filled the air. What the hell was that?

There was a blast and another shout and I was now panicking to see who was getting hurt.

"Sand Coffin!" Gaara's voice was weary, which only worsened my anxiety. I heard his sand moving, and muffled shouts from Sasuke, then silence. I held my breath, waiting.

Something was cracking, splitting, and then breaking apart. Something smashed into the shield and landed on Toboe and me. The sunlight stunned my vision for a second before the figure pushed itself off of us. It was Gaara.

He stepped slowly towards – that wasn't Sasuke, was it? There was a winged gray beast, disfigured with one wing like a bat and one a mass of snakes. A large black cross marked its face under a mess of purple hair. It bared its fangs and flapped itself into the air.

Gaara's breathing was labored, but I could see no blood. Was he hurt internally?

Toboe suddenly stood up and bared his own teeth at the scene. He turned to me, wanting to get me away from this spot.

"No, I'm not leaving Gaara," I whispered, knowing full well I couldn't do much in this state.

Gaara fell to his knees and roared into the sky. I watched in horror as his skin turned yellow, and his veins rose and pulsed bright blue. His ears formed like cat ears and traveled to the top of his head. He shuddered as a large tail grew behind him, yellow and blue.

"Gaara! What's happening?" I shouted in panic. He turned to me with an evil, toothy scowl. This wasn't my husband anymore. His face had grown a muzzle and his eyes shone with bloodthirsty passion. Toboe stood before me and growled a warning. Gaara watched us even as his limbs thickened and he grew twice his size. He seemed to find us unworthy for a fight and turned back to the blue beast before him.

Toboe looked back at me, insisting that we leave immediately. It wasn't worth risking my life to watch the fight.

"But Gaara . . . he's Shukaku now, isn't he?" I asked myself. The demon that had haunted Gaara all his life was this ugly yellow beast.


	20. Chapter 20 Shukaku's Decision

The ten foot tall, gargoyle-like creature called Shukaku stood with his huge yellow back to us. The only sign of movement he gave was the slight twitching of his thick tail with every heavy, guttural breath he took.

His opponent, the grossly transformed Sasuke, watched the demon from a high tree branch, his misshapen wings outstretched as if ready to take off at any moment. One of his wings (the one not formed of snakes), looked like a giant clawed hand, and the whites of his eyes had turned black, giving him a greater demonic aura. That, combined with his blue hair and gray skin, his protruding fangs and marked face, made me wonder what curse in hell could have created such a grotesque being.

Neither of the men was recognizable in the state they were in, but I could see the sharp increase in chakra from both. I could still sense Gaara's energy within Shukaku, but I had no idea what the demon would do, or how much Gaara controlled it, if he could at all. Sasuke, I could tell, was still himself, besides his appearance and new strength.

I didn't realize I was clutching Toboe until I heard a low growl of protest to my grip on his fur.

"Sorry, Toboe," I whispered, letting go. I didn't dare raise my voice before those two beasts.

I wracked my mind for some way to stop them, to prevent causing any further pain to Gaara or Sasuke. But they both wanted the same thing, me, and neither of their stubborn minds would back down. The situation would have been romantic if my husband's life wasn't on the line.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was in a bad position at the moment. In the state I was in physically, I would be only a hindrance to Shukaku, especially if he had to defend me. I grasped a nearby tree trunk to pull myself up, but I had to pause halfway, grimacing in pain as the gash on my chest reopened. The cut on my face wasn't feeling too great either.

"Don't move, girl," a voice hissed. I whirled around. It was Sasuke, who was right behind me so suddenly I didn't even realize he had moved. _He's fast_.

He seemed to tower over me with his new evil look; his Sharingan glowing and his warped face emotionless as he watched me slowly lower myself to the ground in submission. I was no fool – I was worn out and terrified, knowing full well he might kill me on a whim or in retaliation.

Toboe jumped up angrily to defend me, or at least to come between us, but I held him back and pulled him next to where I sat. "Don't be stupid," I whispered to him, keeping my eyes on the Uchiha, "I don't want you getting hurt. Shukaku will take care of this bastard."

As if on cue, a fat rope of sand whipped its way through the air over my head and at Sasuke. But he disappeared in a body flicker, leaving the sand to strike at thin air before flying back again to its owner. I turned again to that clearing where Shukaku stood, facing us now. His thick, veined arm was outstretched towards us, sucking back in the sand it had spewed out. His yellow sunken-in eyes glanced at me before he whipped his arm around to his side, throwing a mass of sand again where Sasuke stood a second earlier. But again, the Uchiha was too swift to get hit. My Sharingan even had difficulty tracking his movements, which were much quicker than the body flicker technique commonly used. How did he move so fast? Could he teleport? I hoped Shukaku was fast or strong enough to catch him. He was a real _demon_, after all, so I knew he had some advantage.

Sasuke appeared again in the air above us, his horrid wings flapping fiercely while his hands quickly formed several seals. These, at least, my Sharingan could follow.

Ram, Boar, Horse, Tiger. "Great Fireball Jutsu!" And with a hand to his lips, he shot a gigantic burst of flame towards the demon.

Shukaku raised his clawed hands and a wall of sand rose from the ground, shielding him from the attack. The roar of the flames was loud as it hit the barrier, then dissipated. But Sasuke had the advantage now, for he was hidden from view. As the sand barrier melted back into the ground, the Uchiha wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Chidori!" he was suddenly high in the air above us, grabbing his wrist. His chakra pulsed and sizzled in electric energy until it became visible to the naked eye. The air filled with a high pitched chirping sound like the one I heard before. Then with one last beat of his wings he plunged down towards Shukaku, dragging his chakra-laden wrist forward.

Shukaku's large arm lifted up just in time to deflect the blow and toss Sasuke away in one movement. The attack had left a gaping crater in Shukaku's arm, but it immediately filled up with more sand and healed over.

"Yes!" I punched the air, startling myself with my sudden energy. _Maybe Shukaku will win! _I thought,_ And if Shukaku wins, Gaara wins._

As Sasuke pulled himself up again into the sky and farther away from Shukaku's reach, the sand demon threw his hand up once more, shooting dozens of sand-made shuriken, which Sasuke easily dodged.

But as Sasuke looked proudly down at us, the shuriken abruptly turned mid-air and shot towards him again. He had forgotten that Shukaku controlled the sand weapons. I heard a faint curse as he looked back, too late, as they spun toward him. Several hit him in the side as he turned, and one lodged neatly into his neck.

Even from on the ground, I could see the drops of blood fall from his body, several of which splattered before Shukaku. Sasuke faltered in the air and settled himself down on a branch to pull them out of him. His neck and side were now coated red.

At the sight of the blood, Shukaku's heavy breaths suddenly quickened and he took a step forward. Only then did I notice that his left arm, the one that had blocked Sasuke's Chidori, hung limply at his side. The blow must have done more damage than it appeared.

Sasuke's hand was holding his throat, most likely trying to stop the bleeding. He was clearly panting, but his expression was aggravatingly emotionless as always.

Shukaku took the opportunity t rest, but I was anxious for him to do something, to attack while Sasuke was hurt. But I knew that Gaara liked being on the defensive; it gave him comfort knowing he could block any attack.

Suddenly Sasuke leapt to the ground and began doing hand seals again. It was a risk on his part, because the moment he landed, the ground began to envelope around him. The sand was halfway up his legs by the time Sasuke bit his thumb and threw his palm to the ground.

"Gaara- It's a summoning jutsu!" I yelled out impulsively. Immediately a large puff of smoke blocked Sasuke from vision. I leaned forward trying to make out what had been done.

The mist blew away to reveal three huge snakes, all a sickly shade of green. Arched up as they were, each one was as tall, if not taller than Shukaku, and each green body was as thick as Shukaku's limbs. The middle snake was bigger than the others. On its head that Sasuke stood, his misshapen wings confidently spread and a katana in his hand.

The sand demon roared in anger and charged the trio, but the snakes moved as quick as lightning. One wrapped around his legs, another bound his arms to his sides. Shukaku opened his mouth and spewed sand at the third, but it and Sasuke leapt away just in time.

He flapped his wretched wings and rose into the air, leaving the third snake free to slither around the ensnared sand demon as he fought to throw off the binding snakes.

Toboe, still standing over me, growled and bared his teeth at the serpent. It was now headed in our direction.

I tried to rise to my feet, only to yelp in pain and fall back to my knees again. The open gash across my chest felt like daggers when I had moved. I moved my hand over the cut to slow the bleeding, which thankfully wasn't too bad. The cut was just deep enough to adequately wound me without being life threatening.

"I can't run, Toboe," I panted. "Go get help!" But the wolf turned away from me to face the snake. He would not leave me here with the snake, which was now only a few yards away. It had stopped where it was, carefully observing Toboe with its foul yellow eyes.

In a flash, Toboe jumped toward the snake. Its long tail whipped around and lashed at him midair, smacking him hard into a tree. His limp body slumped to the ground.

"Toboe!" I called out, watching helplessly as the beast wound itself into a wide circle around me, trapping me. It eyed me hungrily as it slithered slowly around, but made no further move to attack.

"What's wrong, Uchiha Seluni?" A voice whispered in my ear.

I turned a bit to look up at Sasuke, who was bent down right behind me. Transformed as he was, he hardly looked like the man I had felt bad for an hour earlier.

"I told you to stop calling me that." I hoped I sounded braver than I felt. "My name is Kazekage no Seluni, wife of Gaara."

He smirked and gave me a condescending look. "You think that you belong to Gaara? You think that demon wants you? Let's see about that."

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet, ignoring my shouts of pain his actions had caused. I had to hold my wound with one hand to keep it from ripping and opening up again. The huge snake followed us, slithering forward while watching me, its mouth parted revealing long dagger-like fangs.

As we stopped before the beasts before us, Shukaku was being strangled by one snake and held still by the other. The demon roared in frustration and suddenly from his skin grew hundreds of needles, making him look like a grotesque porcupine. The needles pierced right through the snakes, spewing out a bright green fluid. It was eerie that neither snake made a sound as they died.

Shukaku withdrew the spikes and the snakes fell to the ground, revealing green stains on his skin. The demon groaned and turned to us, panting heavily. His golden eyes rested on Sasuke.

"What you're feeling now, demon, is the effects of a serpent's poison," Sasuke mused, never lightening his grip on my arm. "Right about now that venom in your veins is traveling throughout your entire body. I'd say you have about five minutes before it reaches your host body beneath, having a much stronger effect. It will kill you both immediately."

Shukaku took a heavy step towards us and Sasuke pulled me up by my wrist, forcing me to stand. He whipped out a kunai and pulled me to him, holding the knife to my throat.

"Careful, demon," he said, "You may be willing to sacrifice yourself, but what about her? If you try to attack me . . ." He let the sentence hang as the blade tilted just enough to nick my neck.

Shukaku paused. It was painfully obvious what choice he had to make. To save me, he would have to withdraw back into Gaara before the poison hit Gaara's body. The sand that formed Shukaku was filled with the poison, and would fall to the ground as soon as the demon was gone. But that would mean losing his battle and . . . giving me up. God, I got nauseous at the thought of Gaara leaving me with _him_. This Uchiha had a knife to my throat, he had cut me and threatened me, and he had made it obvious that he only wanted me to 'produce heirs'.

The forest was silent as we waited for Shukaku to act.

"Well, demon?" Sasuke called out maliciously, "It's up to you. Give up or the girl dies. Although, I can't promise you that you'll live either way."

Shukaku finally met my eyes. I saw nothing of Gaara in them, only that evil lust for blood and death. Was there anything left of my husband in that beast?

"Please . . . Gaara." I didn't even know what I was asking for. The situation seemed hopeless, but wasn't there anything he could do? To sacrifice himself for me was the worst option imaginable.

The demon shook his head around, seeming to have an internal battle. His face rose one last time towards us as he looked at me. I could finally see a bit of Gaara, a bit of love, in those resigned eyes. Then he began to melt away. Sand poured down from his whole body, coming off in chunks to land lifelessly on the ground.

Soon all that was left was the real Gaara, my Gaara, bloodied and covered in sand. He fell to his knees, his face downcast, hidden from sight. His shoulders shook from exhaustion as he gripped the sand in piles before him.

"Gaara!" I called out, trying to reach for him. Sasuke held me back and kept the knife pressed on me. From the corner of my eye I saw that huge snake move into my vision. It circled behind Gaara, waiting for its orders.

"Very good." Sasuke pulled away the kunai but kept his hold on me. Hot tears stung my eyes as I watched Gaara bend forward onto his hands. I couldn't see his face, yes, but the tears that fell made dark imprints on the sand beneath him.

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A/N: Thank you, to everyone who adds and reviews! Now, to answer a few questions–

Shunie - An OC is an Original Character made by the author to fit into the original storyline, in this case, the Naruto world. Any one can make one, they're fun to create.

Wingless - The gray beast is Sasuke, but in his cursed seal form. He got this power to transform from Orochimaru and accesses this power in difficult fights.

Join-Fei - I realize I've deviated from the manga quite a bit – I'll try to cover the (immense) plot holes! Let me try to sum up a few things - Right now Sasuke is unaware of who Tobi is, but of course, right now we don't know much about him, so I'm postponing his return into the story. Akatsuki never attacked Gaara until Sasori was already replaced with Tobi. Sasuke killed Itachi before the story, and he's returned to Konoha. It's all a bit rough, I know, but if you told me what the plotholes were, I could try and fix them. I appreciate the advice though!

O man I think I know who Tobi really is, cuz it fits in perfectly . . . I hope the manga tells us soon! (don't worry, I won't spoil it!)


	21. Chapter 21 Ending the Violence

"What are you doing, Gaara?! Get up!"

I was half screaming, half pleading as Sasuke slowly pulled me from my wrist away from Gaara. I struggled as best I could, but it was all so hopeless.

What good was I if I couldn't even defend myself? The power of my Sharingan was useless against Sasuke's own. My connection to Toboe was pointless while he was knocked out (at least I hoped that was all he was).

Sasuke laughed at my pitiful cries and changed back into his normal self. His hair darkened and his skin paled and those hideous wings shrunk back into his back. But now, his mocking red eyes and confident expression were more disgusting to me than his 'transformation' had been. At least when he was changed, he had physically looked like the monster he was inside. Now, seeing an attractive sociopath was really unnerving.

"Please, Sasuke," I begged, "Don't do this!"

"Dokuhebi, finish the job," Sasuke said quietly to the snake. It hissed in response and bared its fangs, its large head raised above Gaara.

He didn't move. He didn't look at me or say anything. I couldn't believe he would just sit there and wait to die.

Everything I was told about who he used to be, and everything I used to think he was, it was all trash. This man in front of me was no heartless killer, no psychotic monster, but my husband willing to die for me! Nothing could have been more giving, more loving, then this moment. But I couldn't, I wouldn't let it happen.

"No! Gaara, please!" I pulled with a force that made Sasuke hold on to me with both hands. He was grunting under the strain. I didn't even feel the pain from my cuts, I didn't care that my wrist was pulling and straining under his grasp.

"Shut up, girl!" he yelled out, "He won't fight back - You're an Uchiha now." I'm pretty sure he would have hit me if his hands weren't in use.

"That's it!" I turned to him, fist raised, and used all the strength I had left to clock him square in his nose. I put every ounce of energy into it, remembering all the trouble Gaara and I had to go through to stay together. I may not have been anything near as strong as Sasuke, but I was still alive and would try to save Gaara no matter what.

Sasuke shouted a string of curses and released me, covering his face. All I saw of it was a mess of dark blood leaking through his fingers. I think I heard myself shouting in pain, and my vision momentarily blurred from the sudden throbbing in my fist.

I inhaled sharply to overcome the pain. Although, Sasuke must have felt worse. I glared down at him, cradling my hand against my stomach.

"I'm _not_ an Uchiha, asshole," I spat at him. I spun to face my husband. The snake hadn't attacked, and seemed distracted by the action.

"Gaara, fight!" I called out, limping towards him.

He looked up, amazed, but he assessed the situation right away. Instantly a column of sand grew behind him. It caught and enveloped the huge snake, crushing it in an explosion of innards.

Gaara, now splattered in snake's blood, rose to his feet. His face was down but he looked up at Sasuke with murderous intent in his bright blue eyes. His sand smoldered and swirled around him, rising up above him and splashing down again, all while he stepped towards Sasuke.

He may have looked vicious and lethal, but seeing him up again gave me the strength to keep walking, finally staggering into his open arms. I buried my face into his chest and felt his arms wrap around me.

"Please Gaara, let's get out of here."

"This won't take more than a minute, Seluni."

He was going to kill him, I could tell from his voice. Sasuke did deserve to die, but it didn't feel right to resort to his level. Gaara and I weren't murderers. And with everything Sasuke had put us through, I didn't want to see him killed. "No, Gaara, let's just leave –"

"I won't let him get away with this." Gaara held me tightly with one hand and raised the other one towards Sasuke, who was now stumbling to his feet.

Sand pooled around Sasuke's ankles and rose to cover his legs once more. This time, the sand moved swift and strong. In a matter of seconds, only the Uchiha's head was visible from a coffin of sand. He was looking stubbornly at Gaara, clearly defiant to the end.

I dug my face into Gaara's arm, not wanting to see the bloodbath that would take place.

"Hold it right there!" yelled a thunderous female voice. It was Tsunade, running into the clearing with Kiba, Akamaru, and Naruto.

Gaara didn't move, but silently watched the group approach. They surveyed the scene; three bloody figures, me clutching Gaara, Sasuke wrapped in sand, Toboe in a fluffy pile and three giant dead snakes. Kiba and Akamaru ran to Toboe, while Naruto and Tsunade stopped between the men. Gaara finally let his hand drop.

"Well," Tsunade said, putting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot, "Would anyone like to explain?"

She looked back and forth between us, like a schoolteacher waiting for an answer. Sasuke looked away, still trying to act smug even with blood all over his nose and being up to his chin in sand. But even I could see how he winced slightly at her voice. I closed my eyes and leaned back into Gaara. I was too exhausted to answer, and at the moment, explaining this all seemed far less important than sleeping.

"Sasuke!" she shouted suddenly. "I order you to tell me what happened here!"

No answer. Finally Naruto spoke up, his voice more reserved than usual. "I think . . . Sasuke was at fault here."

I glanced up. Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's in a bitter understanding.

Tsuande stalked over to the Uchiha, calling out for Gaara to release his sand. Gaara hesitated, but did as she asked. It was over now; Sasuke wouldn't fight anymore. Naruto rushed to follow the Hokage.

As the two of them pummeled Sasuke for answers, he sat in silence and took the verbal abuse. I looked back at my husband.

"Gaara, can we leave _now_?"

He gave a small smile and nodded, reaching to squeeze my hand.

That hand suddenly seared with intense pain that made me gasp for breath. I felt dizzy and saw black spots around Gaara's concerned face.

"Ow," I mumbled stupidly, before blacking out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up slowly to the sound of faint voices and the hum of incandescent lights. I was lying on a soft bed, probably in the hospital, and had to fight the urge to fall back asleep. The voices that had woken me seemed to be right outside the door.

". . . decent amount of blood loss, bruised throat and cheekbone, a sprained wrist, a fractured hand and broken ankle." I recognized the speaker as Tsunade. She still sounded angry.

A second voice was Sakura's. "But if none of them told you what happened, how do you know it was his fault?"

"Sakura!" Tsuande hissed back, "You've been a wonderful apprentice, but don't start questioning me now. Sasuke's actions were insane and selfish! I can only hope the Kazekage will forgive us for letting this happen!"

A pause. "I have to go see him."

"You'll wait until he's out of questioning. And I hope you know that Team 7 will be going on missions without him for a long time."

_Good thing, _I thought, _and at least he's being detained. Someone like Sasuke should not be allowed outside this village._

I suddenly realized that something was touching my leg. Opening my eyes, I saw my husband, sitting in a chair pulled up to my bed. He was sleeping peacefully with his head resting on the bed, his hair just grazing my calf.

I watched him sleep, noticing the bandages on his arms and forehead. His eyes flickered open and met mine.

"You're awake," he said, leaning over to kiss me gently. I smiled and reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes with my good hand. The other was in bandages and hurt to move.

I hardly knew what to say. What do you tell someone who risked his life for your own? I could do nothing but drink in the sight of him, healthy, safe, handsome, and mine. I never wanted to let him out of my sight again.

"There's something I have to show you," he said suddenly, looking oddly excited for the moment. "This morning, I spoke with Naruto about Shukaku, and he told me about a new seal that would suppress Shukaku's power to overcome me." He lifted up his shirt, revealing a small spiraled tattoo around his navel.

"It's related to the seal Naruto had placed on him some time ago. I can now control Shukaku's strength without worrying about him escaping from me again."

My mind was still groggy from sleep but I realized that this was something important.

"That's why you were able to turn back into yourself, isn't it?"

He nodded and grinned. "No more hurting you, either."

I laughed and pulled him in for another long kiss. Meanwhile, the door flew open. In ran Temari and Naruto, with Kankuro and Tsuande following behind.


End file.
